The Holy See wishes to emphasize that every policy and practice utilized in implementing a “green transition” should be subordinated to the dictates of the common good. Therefore, policies, laws, and government programs should maintain a perspective that is focused on the respect for, and promotion of, human dignity, in a spirit of solidarity among people.

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As Pope Francis has said, too often “Bullying is a phenomenon of self compensation, self-assessment, not of finding myself, but of decreasing the other to feel better.” In order to address this distorted approach to human relationships, it is necessary to be aware that the other person is a valuable member of the one human family, my brother or sister. “Our life becomes more human insofar as its nature becomes less individual and more personal; we see this authentic path of becoming more human in one who moves from being an individual who perceives the other as a rival, to a person who recognizes others as travelling companions.” The fight against cyberbullying starts here.

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Attaining authentic human development and protecting human rights requires solidarity arising from the common humanity that all persons share. It cannot be the prerogative only of certain groups of people. Conversely, international solidarity must never be used to impose any form of ideological colonization, but must be supported by our deepest religious and ethical values.

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As Pope Francis has said, “[o]ur right to water gives rise to an inseparable duty. We are obliged to proclaim this essential human right and to defend it – as we have done – but we also need to work concretely to bring about political and juridical commitments in this regard. Every state is called to implement, also through juridical instruments, the Resolutions approved by the United Nations General Assembly since 2010 concerning the human right to a secure supply of drinking water. Similarly, non-state actors are required to assume their own responsibilities with respect to this right.”

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“The merit of the Universal Declaration is that it has enabled different cultures, juridical expressions and institutional models to converge around a fundamental nucleus of values, and hence of rights. Today, though, efforts need to be redoubled in the face of pressure to reinterpret the foundations of the Declaration and to compromise its inner unity so as to facilitate a move away from the protection of human dignity towards the satisfaction of simple interests, often particular interests. “

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As a family of nations, when we are bound by the same provisions and when we share the same objectives under this Convention, victims’ assistance becomes a shared responsibility. Therefore, the delay and failure of one State Party is the failure of all, and this is inevitably measured in terms of the human lives lost or by delayed assistance to victims. By the same token, the success of one is also the success of all. On that note, this Delegation also wishes to congratulate States Parties that are proceeding in the completion of the destruction of their stockpiles.

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Pope Francis noted that “Any book considered sacred by its people must be respected out of respect for its believers, and freedom of expression must never be used as an excuse to despise others, and to allow this, must be rejected and condemned.

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As Pope Francis has stated, ““Human trafficking disfigures dignity. Exploitation and subjugation limit freedom and turn people into objects to use and discard. And the system of trafficking profits from the injustice and wickedness that oblige millions of people to live in conditions of vulnerability.”

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Even though climate change increasingly affects everyone, the greatest pain is felt by those who have contributed to it the least. In fact, it disproportionately affects ow-income and developing countries, which do not have the resources to face its consequences alone. Therefore, the Holy See calls on the international community to work on a collective and coordinated response in a spirit of solidarity, placing human dignity and the care for our common home at the center of all its efforts.

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Pope Francis called for a Global Compact for Education, noting that “[n]ever before has there been such need to unite our efforts in a broad educational alliance, to form mature individuals capable of overcoming division and antagonism, and to restore the fabric of relationships for the sakeof a more fraternal humanity.”

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In parallel, coordinated efforts should be made at the international level to strengthen the implementation of the Global Compact on Migration to ensure that migration is truly safe, orderly, and regular. This includes expanding the number and range of alternative pathways for regular migration and resettlement, improving education and working conditions in the countries of origin, and taking into account the material as well as spiritual needs and aspirations of migrants with a view to promoting the integral development of every individual.

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As Pope Francis has said, “[t]he crisis in human relationships and, consequently, the other crises[…], cannot be overcome, unless we safeguard the transcendent dignity of each human person,  created in the image and likeness of God.” Indeed, only through concerted efforts, focused on the promotion of human fraternity and the common good, will it be possible to adequately address  such challenges of global concern.

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In the name of human fraternity, of justice and mercy, let us consider assistance from the perspective of the victims themselves. After all, the best way to ensure that their needs – including psychosocial support and spiritual assistance – are addressed properly, and that their rights are upheld, is to listen to them.

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It is only when these three principles of ‘human dignity’, ‘solidarity’, and ‘subsidiarity’ work in synergy that the common good prevails and that we can make our world a just and compassionate one, in which “social justice” can truly flourish “for all”.

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The principal theme of this 76th Assembly, that is, “Saving Lives and Driving health for all”. Pope Francis himself serves as a strong advocate and promoter of health care for all, which is an important aspect of the fight against inequality. He maintains, indeed, that “as long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by […] attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems.” 

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The Holy See remains confident that dialogue, in a spirit of fraternity, may bring about a just and lasting peace. This Delegation wishes to echo the appeal and prayers of Pope Francis so that “arms might be laid down and dialogue prevail, in order to return together to the path of peace and harmony.”

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The Holy See is particularly concerned about a new and subtle form of discrimination often related to race and especially traditional culture, a phenomenon which Pope Francis has denounced as ideological colonization. Rather than respecting the values and cultures of local populations, certain Western countries impose their ideologies on countries from the Global South, at times withholding financial support and humanitarian aid unless that country adopt and implement their positions.

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The Holy See echoes the concern expressed by the Special Rapporteur over the continued marginalization, exclusion and discrimination gainst national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in many places of the world.

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Of no less concern is the condition of believers in certain countries where, behind the façade of tolerance and inclusion, discrimination is perpetrated more subtly and insidiously. In a growing number of countries, we witness the imposition of different forms of censorship that reduce the possibility of expressing one’s convictions both publicly and politically with the pretext to avoid offending the sensibilities of others.

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Parents are also uniquely able to both protect the privacy of their children while protecting them from online violence. For this reason, in addition to providing children with adequate education with regard to their online activity, programs to help the digital literacy and awareness of cyber risks for parents and other caregivers could provide an important safeguard to prevent violence against children online.

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In a similar vein, the lack of transparency and traceability introduced by blockchains and cryptocurrencies increases the risk of tax evasion and other nefarious practices, including human trafficking, potentially enabling criminal activity and reducing the ability of States to ensure adequate welfare and social protections for their citizens.

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The Holy See reaffirms that no expression of religion or religious values can be consideredauthentic if it promotes hatred, violence, discrimination or conflict. Competent authorities, in promoting the common good, have a responsibility to ensure that such expressions of pseudo religious values are adequately addressed, to ensure that the human dignity and rights of all are upheld.

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“The firm conviction that authentic teachings of religions invite us to remain rooted in the values of peace; to defend the values ofmutual understanding, human fraternity and harmonious coexistence; to re-establish wisdom, justice and love; and to reawaken religious awareness among young people so that future generations may be protected from the realm of materialistic thinking and from dangerous policies of unbridled greed and indifference that are based on the law of force and not on the force of laws.”

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The Holy See wishes to echo Pope Francis’ heartfelt appeal “to end all conflict and to resume the peace process in a serious way, so that violence can end, and people can return to living in dignity. Only with peace, stability and justice can there be development and social reintegration.”

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Indeed, the sacredness of life must be respected in all contexts and at all times. The Holy See wishes to echo the hope of Pope Francis, “[m]ay the clear waters of the Mediterranean never more be bloodied by such tragic accidents! Let the human traffickers be stopped so they do not continue to dispose of the lives of so many innocent people! May the journeys of hope never more be transformed into journeys of death”.

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This Delegation wishes, therefore, to echo the plea of Pope Francis to overcome hostilities and seek spaces for a constructive dialogue between the Parties, laying the foundations for the return to a peaceful coexistence based on the respect of the dignity and the rights of all persons, especially those in the most vulnerable situations, who are disproportionately affected by the current circumstances. Pope Francis appeals for the “open[ing of] the hearts of political leaders and all citizens to the sincere search for peace, which is born of truth, justice, freedom and love.

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The issue of LAWS has been discussed in the CCW framework for over a decade now. The Holy See believes that, in order to prevent an arms race and the increase of inequalities and instability, there is an imperative duty to translate the wealth of knowledge into a concrete normative and operational framework, rooted in ethical onsiderations. Such a framework should take into account commonly agreed outcomes, produced in the sessions of the GGE throughout the years, and should also consider the numerous concrete proposals submitted by various delegations.

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Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken of a Third World War of the globalized world fought piecemeal, where the growing number of conflicts may directly involve only certain areas of the planet, but in fact affect them all. At a time when the international community needs stability, cooperation and peace more than ever, it is of paramount importance for this GGE to fulfill its work and avoid LAWS from becoming an additional source of instability.

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When life is not recognized as a value per se, it can be bent to particular interests, especially when those affected cannot advocate for and defend themselves. This includes children, the unborn, the sick, the elderly and persons with disabilities. The right to life is also threatened by the practice of the death penalty, which unfortunately is still all too common. No one can claim rights over the life of another human being. Hence, the Holy See would like to reiterate the appeal of Pope Francis to fight against this “throw-away culture”. It is important that States take responsibility towards their citizens and protect life at all stages, from conception to its natural end, especially in the most delicate moments.

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The desire of Pope Francis, with which he closed the abovementioned annual address to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, “How wonderful it would be if, just once, we were to gather simply to thank the Lord Almighty for his constant blessings, without having to list all the tragic events plaguing our world. If I may quote once more the words of John XXIII, “we nonetheless remain hopeful that, by establishing contact with one another and by a policy of negotiation, nations will come to a better recognition of the natural ties that bind them together as men and women. We are hopeful, too, that they will come to a fairer realization of one of the cardinal duties deriving from our common nature: namely, that love, not fear, must dominate the relationships etween individuals and between nations.”

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Since time immemorial, the starry skies above have been a source of profound fascination and inspiration to all peoples, spread out across Earth. In a world regrettably rife with conflicts and injustices, let us not increase the risks but rather help create a culture of peace and fraternity for the future, space faring generations to come.

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The Pope Francis addressed early this year to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See could be helpful to guide your conversation: “… a comprehensive commitment on the part of the international community is necessary, so that the entire world population can have equal access to essential medical care and vaccines … I reiterate my appeal that governments and concerned private entities demonstrate a sense of responsibility, developing a coordinated response at every level (local, national, regional, global), through new models of solidarity and tools to strengthen the capabilities of those countries in greatest need.”

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The Council Fathers in paragraph 89 of Gaudium et spes (hereafter GS), the Pastoral Constitution of the Second Vatican Council on the Church in the modern world:

“Since, in virtue of her mission received from God, the Church preaches the Gospel to all men and dispenses the treasures of grace, she contributes to the ensuring of peace everywhere on earth and to the placing of the fraternal exchange between men on solid ground by imparting knowledge of the divine and natural law. Therefore, to encourage and stimulate cooperation among men, the Church must be clearly present in the midst of the community of nations both through her official channels and through the full and sincere collaboration of all Christians—a collaboration motivated solely by the desire to be of service to all.

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The root causes of migration and forced displacement call into question our achievements as a human family, including in the area of social justice. While States are obligated to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people on the move, it is also crucial that the international community help create conditions which allow communities and individuals to live in safety and dignity in their Countries of origin, consistent with paragraph 13 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

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The Holy See urgently reiterates its call for the cessation of conflicts and for the establishment of a culture of peace and of life, based upon the values of responsibility, justice and dialogue.
Let us ensure that the application of biological sciences remains solely dedicated to the improvement of health and development. Let us not give in to the fragmentation of solutions and a situation where reciprocal vetoes impede the strengthening of the Convention. This is a responsibility which we cannot shirk. Today’s complacency and inaction could very well be tomorrow’s catastrophe.

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the Holy See wishes to reiterate that the migration debate is not only about migrants. Rather, as Pope Francis reminds us, it is about all of us, and about the present and future of the human family. The challenges posed by climate change to humanity and to our common home have “not only environmental, but also ethical, social, economic, and political relevance, affect[ing] above all the life of the poorest and most fragile. In this way they  appeal to our responsibility to promote, through collective and joint commitment, a culture of care, which places human dignity and the common good at the center”

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Anti-personnel landmines, in particular, embody a shaky and artificial approach to security guided by the conception that the other is an “enemy”. Every person seeks peace, the opposite of fear. Conflicts disfigure the bonds between people and between States, with civilians always bearing the brunt of the suffering. In particular, anti-personnel landmine victims, among whom far too many are children, are a stark reminder of the cruelty and tragedy of conflicts.

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While keeping in mind the complexity of armed conflict as well as the morally compromising decision to take human life, the Holy See hopes that this declaration will represent an opportunity and an invitation to shift from the paradigm of “collateral damage” to one of “intended protection” so as to truly minimize and hopefully avoid any loss of human life.

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Pope Francis has affirmed that “to see or not to see” the effects of climate change on displacement is the question that should lead us to the answer in action together.1 Indeed, the human reality of migration and the ubiquity of climate change require a collective and coordinated response by the international community. While no single State can manage the consequences of climate change alone, every State must acknowledge that the poor and vulnerable are at the greatest, most immediate risk.

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Everything is connected: poverty, food insecurity, climate change, migration. At a time when the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine and elsewhere are causing spikes in energy and food prices, it is shameful and worrying that so many do not have access to adequate food or the means to provide for themselves. Indeed, “[k]nowing that multitudes of human beings do not have access to adequate food or the means to obtain it – this being a fundamental right of every person – to see food thrown away or spoiled…is truly shameful and worrying.”

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Conflict and protracted refugee situations cannot become the “new normal”. Refugees and displaced persons are human beings and therefore the subjects of rights and duties, not objects of assistance. In this regard, the Holy See expresses its gratitude to Countries that have increased their resettlement quotas and the many intermediary and faith-inspired organizations that collaborate with them on the ground.

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As Pope Francis reminds us, “we are called to nurture and promote respect for the inherent dignity of every human person beginning with the family, sharing brotherhood and solidarity, but also in the various social contexts we engage in”.

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The Holy See is firmly committed to respecting indigenous cultures, including their cultural traditions, customs and languages. Disregard for the concrete life of indigenous peoples and the imposition of certain predetermined cultural models in the form of “ideological colonization”, often threatens their traditions, history and religious bonds.

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The Holy See further stresses that the right to development must not be limited to its economic and social dimensions but rather should adopt a holistic and integral perspective that recognizes the link between the right to development and the common good and solidarity among generations.

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Pope Francis stated in his Message for the World Day of Peace this year, “[al]though technological and economic development has tended to create a divide between generations, our current crises show the urgent need for an intergenerational partnership. Young people need the wisdom and experience of the elderly, while those who are older need the support, affection, creativity, and dynamism of the young.”

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As Pope Francis recently recalled, ongoing conflicts place us in a “a third world war being fought ‘piecemeal’ – perhapswe can now say that it is ‘all out’ – putting people and the planet at ever greater risk” and further destabilizing the already fragile multilateral context.

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Indeed, “access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights. Our world has a grave social debt towards the poor who lack access to drinking water, because they are denied theright to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity.”

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The Holy See remains hopeful that the States Parties to the Convention will carry out their responsibility – individually and collectively – to prevent cluster munitions from being a threat to life and an obstacle to the integral development of populations that have experienced and continue to experience conflicts. We owe this much to the too many victims of the past and to potential victims in the future, whose lives we can protect by the full and honest implementation of the Convention.

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The Holy See wishes to seize the occasion of this Meeting of States Parties to make a strong appeal to States which are not yet party to this Convention, to adhere to it and readily implement the Convention in its letter and spirit. Let us earnestly place girls, boys, women and men, at the center of our efforts for disarmament. Let us also promote a holistic and integrated approach in victims’ assistance, that is firmly centered on human dignity and towards integral development. Finally, let us also ask, what is the meaning of peace, security and stability, if our societies, our communities and our families live in constant fear?

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The future of democratic societies depends on their ability to welcome migrants. We all have a responsibility and a moral duty to protect human life and dignity, in a spirit of solidarity and responsibility sharing.

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Pope Francis launched a Global Compact on Education to foster a renewed commitment to the education of children and youth not only in the classroom, but also in the family and the community. Indeed, as Pope Francis affirms, our common goal “is to ensure that everyone has access to a quality education consonant with the dignity of the human person and our common vocation to fraternity […] May we be sustained by the conviction that education bears within itself a seed of hope: the hope of peace and justice; the hope of beauty and goodness; the hope of social harmony”

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Pope Francis aptly noted, “the issue of […] climate change, has clearly demonstrated that we cannot be saved alone and by ourselves: the great challenges of our time are all global. It is thus troubling that, alongside the greater interconnection of problems, we are seeing a growing fragmentation of solutions.”

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Pope Francis has said, “[The blocking of grain exports from Ukraine, on which the lives of millions of people depend, especially in the poorest countries, is of great concern.] I make a heartfelt appeal that every effort be made to resolve this issue and to guarantee the universal human right to food. Please do not use wheat, a staple food, as a weapon of war!”

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Pope Francis has urged multilateral diplomacy to be based on “reciprocal trust and willingness to dialogue; it entails ‘listening to one another, sharing different views, coming to agreement and walking together’. Indeed, ‘dialogue is the best way to realize what ought always to be affirmed and respected apart from any ephemeral consensus.’

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Pope Francis on the occasion of ILO’s Centenary: “In today’s interconnected and complex world, we need to highlight the importance of good, inclusive and decent work […] We need people and institutions that defend the dignity of workers, the dignity of everyone’s work, and the wellbeing of the earth, our common home!”

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To achieve true and long-lasting peace, we must allocate appropriate resources to integral human development, education, and health. As members of one human family, let us collectively invest in life and peace, not in instruments of death and destruction.

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The Church has a responsibility to show the way of preserving and defending life, from conception to natural death, including by raising its voice in international organizations, and especially through education to prevent and eliminate life-threatening risks. I hope that today’s seminar will contribute to advancing and enhancing the fulfilment of this responsibility through concrete
actions and outcomes.

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The words of the Holy Father Pope Francis on World AIDS Day 2021, when he underlined the importance of remembering the many people who are affected by this virus: “For many of them, in some areas of the world, access to the necessary treatment is not available. My hope is that there might be a renewed commitment in solidarity to guarantee fair and effective health care.”

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The Holy Father affirmed that “the greatest blasphemy is to profane the name of God by hating our brothers and sisters. Hostility, extremism, and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion. We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion”

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The Pope Francis recently urged the relevant multilateral fora and their institutions to “adapt their legal instruments lest monopolistic rules constitute further obstacles to production and to an organized and consistent access to healthcare on a global level”

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The Holy See is “aware that individual, self-centered and conflicting – but powerful – economic interests prevent us from conceiving of a food system that responds to the values of the Common Good, solidarity and the ‘culture of encounter.”

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The Holy See insists “that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood. These tragic realities are the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings.”

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As stressed by Pope Francis, “dialogue and fraternity are all the more urgently needed.. conflicts are exacerbated by the abundance of weapons. Those who possess weapons will eventually use them, since …. a person cannot love with offensive weapons in his hands”.

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The Holy See wishes to renew the appeal of Pope Francis to reject war as a means to settle disputes. It is important to return to negotiations before it is too late. Dialogue is still possible – but the longer the procrastination, the greater are the losses, especially in terms of human lives, the harsher the animosity will become and thus the harder reconciliation efforts will be.

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Holy See would like to reiterate that “Children have a right to grow up in a family with a father and a mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child’s growth and emotional development”.

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With their cohesive force, prophetic voice and operational network, faith traditions play a fundamental role in strengthening the local, national and global response to global health crises, so that no one is left behind in the recovery from the pandemic.

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In his recent annual address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis welcomed these efforts, stating: “I would urge all States, who are working to establish an international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response under the aegis of the World Health Organization, to adopt a policy of generous sharing as a key principle to guarantee everyone access to diagnostic tools, vaccines and drugs”

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The Holy See, in hoping for a peaceful and swift resolution to the ongoing tensions, remains confident that dialogue, in a spirit of fraternity, may bring about the much-desired peace. Indeed, in the words of Pope Francis “The way of peace […] reconciles conflicts and regenerates the beauty of fraternity. […] There is no other way to achieve reconciliation. Let us nurture hope by […] openness to sincere discussion that would give priority to people’s needs”.

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As Pope Francis recently affirmed during his visit to the Reception and Identification Centre in Mytilene, Greece, “It is an issue for the whole world: a humanitarian crisis that concerns everyone. The pandemic has had a global impact; it has made us realize that we are all on the same boat; it has made us experience what it means to have identical fears. We have come to understand that the great issues must be faced together, since in today’s world piecemeal solutions are inadequate.”

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As affirmed in the preamble of the CCW, the High Contracting Parties recognized “the importance of pursuing every effort which may contribute to progress towards general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control” and reaffirmed “the need to continue the codification and progressive development of the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict”.

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The desire for peace, security and stability is one of the deepest longings of the human heart. On the occasion of this Sixth Review Conference, it is legitimate to ask this simple question: what difference has the CCW made for civilians living in conflict areas?

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It seems appropriate to recall Pope Francis’ inspiring words: “I am thinking of what comes after; of the future and of the social and economic consequences. The future has a memory. I ask you to prepare the future […] with science and imagination to rise above the challenge in front of us”

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Es aún más lamentable que los migrantes sean utilizados cada vez más como moneda de cambio, como peones en el tablero de ajedrez, víctimas de rivalidades políticas. Como todos sabemos, la decisión de emigrar, de abandonar la tierra natal o el territorio de origen, es sin duda una de las más difíciles de la vida.
¿Cómo se puede explotar el sufrimiento y la desesperación para avanzar o defender agendas políticas? ¿Cómo pueden prevalecer las consideraciones políticas cuando está en juego la dignidad de la persona humana?

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Indeed, only through the mutual respect of every person’s inviolable dignity, in a spirit of fraternal dialogue, can true peace be established, which has as its objective the promotion of integral human development and the common good.

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I would like to renew the heartfelt appeal of Pope Francis to “the conscience and the responsibility of the national authorities and of the international community, to take appropriate and timely decisions to rescue [the people of the DRC].” Only with coordinated and constant efforts at the local, national, regional and international levels will we be able to put an end to the humanitarian and human rights crisis in the DRC and
effectively protect the rights and dignity of the Congolese people.

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The extreme inequality that has emerged in recent decades is underpinned by an individualistic ideology that has abandoned the notion of the common good in a common home with common horizons. Investment and prosperity have been delinked fromnotions of a social contract and a commitment to a caring society; rather, today they are perceived merely from the perspective of sources of profit. Pope Francis warned that “[r]adical individualism is a virus that is extremely difficult to eliminate, for it is clever. It makes us believe that everything consists in giving free rein to our own ambitions, as if by pursuing ever greater ambitions and creating safety nets we would somehow be serving the common good” (Fratelli tutti, 105)

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When confronted with intense divisions among Countries and many sectors of society, an increased awareness of our fraternity becomes essential. As a family of nations, we all share the responsibility to look after our brothers and sisters, especially those in vulnerable situations, including those whose lives and freedom have been threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political persecution.

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The Delegation of the Holy See reiterates the importance of promoting and protecting the cultural values, patrimony and human rights of indigenous people, as well as to provide them with opportunities to continue to remain protagonists of their own cultural and social development.

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In a spirit of fraternity, universal access to clean water and sanitation is not only an urgent priority, given the need to reduce the risks of global health emergencies, but it is also a grave responsibility shared
by all, so that each and every one of our brothers and sisters may enjoy a dignified life.

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The Holy See, in hoping for a peaceful and swift resolution to the ongoing tensions, remains convinced that inclusive dialogue represents the most powerful tool for achieving such peace and calls on the entire international community to move from declaration to action by welcoming refugees in a spirit of human fraternity.

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In the preamble of the CCW, as High Contracting Parties we recognized “the importance of pursuing every effort which may contribute to progress towards general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control” and reaffirmed “the need to continue the codification and progressive development of the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict”. The flexibility of the CCW
structure, then, already offers appropriate mechanisms for how to proceed, that can be applied to categories of conventional weapons not covered by the existing protocols.
This Delegation believes that to prevent an arms race and the increase of inequalities and instability, it is an imperative duty to act urgently.

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This Delegation wishes to reiterate that it is only through a solid ethical and legal perspective that we can proceed to analyze the potential functions and technological aspects in order to clarify which kind of systems or specific characteristics would be allowed or prohibited. In this regard, an approach that seeks to exclude those systems that are, in whole or in part, incompatible with IHL and other existing .international obligations, could be of great benefit in adequately characterizing the systems under consideration.

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This growing awareness represents a change in public perception, which is also a driving force behind the implementation and development of IHL. While autonomous weapons systems may be considered normal” in the statistical sense of the term and thus deemed acceptable, there are still behaviors that IHL prohibits, or that, although not explicitly prohibited, remain forbidden by the dictates of morality, by spiritual values, experience and soldierly virtues. Moreover, the end does not justify the means used to achieve it. In this regard, the Martens’ Clause, which is at the intersection of IHL and ethics, but more importantly represents a legal obligation enshrined in several IHL treaties, including in the CCW preamble, also offers a priori a crucial regulating compass for our work. How would autonomous weapons systems be able to respond to the principles of humanity and the dictates of public conscience?

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The Holy See wishes to take this occasion to recognize the valiant role played during the Covid-19 pandemic by UNHCR staff as well as other stakeholders, many of whom have placed the service of others over ensuring their own health, safety and security. Among these courageous individuals are those engaged in government response programs as well as nongovernmental and faith-based organizations who have remained on the frontlines as essential personnel offering special attention to the needs of refugees and migrants.

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The Holy See would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that international law does not recognize a so-called right to “reproductive sexual information and services” , which implies access to abortion and family planning services. In addition, the “mandatory parental notification and/or consent for prescribed contraceptives and abortion” is not an infringement on the right to privacy of children but rather the right and duty of the parent in their evaluation of the best interests of their child.

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Pope Francis recently affirmed that “by how we treat a woman’s body, we can understand our level of humanity”.5 There is no doubt that achieving full respect for women requires strong efforts to promote  uthentic respect for the other, founded on the intrinsic truth of the equal dignity of all persons.

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“Concern for education is concern for future generations and for the futureb of humanity. It is a concern profoundly rooted in hope and it calls for generosity and courage. (…) Today we are called to renew and consolidate the dedication of all in favour of education, in order to forge a new educational compact, because only thus will education be able to change. This will enable the promotion of a culture of dialogue, a culture of encounter and mutual understanding, in a spirit of serenity and tolerance. An education that enables young people to identify and foster true human values from an intercultural and interreligious perspective.”

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As stressed by Pope Francis, “[a]uthentic solidarity is not just about offering help to others; it is a matter of justice; it requires a radical change in our thinking that looks to the good of the community, defends the right to life for all, and promotes a just sharing of the earth’s goods”

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As Pope Francis has said, the world will emerge either better or worse after the pandemic. What is certain is that migration – whatever its triggering factors – will be playing an ever-increasing role in our societies. Therefore, mindful of the dramatic lessons learned from the pandemic, it is now the time to rethink the parameters of human coexistence through the lenses of human fraternity and solidarity.

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As Pope Francis recalled recently, there exists an “ecological debt that we owe to nature, as well as to peoples affected by human-induced ecological degradation and loss of biodiversity. These issues are not simply political or economic; they are questions of justice, a justice that can no longer be ignored or deferred. Indeed, they entail a moral obligation towards future generations, for the seriousness with which we respond to them will shape the world we leave to our children.”

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The gravity of the present situation, made all the more evident by the COVID pandemic, demands that a responsible stand be taken by the whole international community. We simply cannot remain silent in the face of so much suffering and adversity. Today, more than ever, the international community must join forces to seek a future that is sustainable, inclusive and just for all. We are called through our decisions to implement our common commitment to the good of the human family. We are called to think and act in solidarity, which “also means combatting thestructural causes of poverty [and] inequality”.

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In the current scenario, where religious freedom is being increasingly eroded by the need to protect human lives from the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is of paramount importance that the civil authorities commit themselves to respect, protect and defend the freedom of religion or belief, as the innermost dimension of the dignity of the human person, in his or her conscience.

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“The principle that debts must be paid is certainly just. However, it is not right to demand or expect payment when the effect would be the imposition of political choices leading to hunger and despair for entire peoples. It cannot be expected that the debts which have been contracted should be paid at the price of unbearable sacrifices”.  The Holy See considers it essential to adopt policies geared to the substantial reduction, if not forgiveness, of debt for less developed countries, as a sign of true solidarity, co-responsibility and cooperation among all involved in the fight against the globalCoronavirus pandemic.

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Now, more than ever, it is necessary to adopt a coordinated approach, strengthened by sincere dialogue, to adopt policies at the local, national and international levels that ensures the right to food for all people, with special attention given to persons in vulnerable situations.  Indeed, “no one is saved alone; we can only be saved together.” Only by “placing people at the center of policy responses,” can an authentic human rights approach promote the necessary global collaboration among States to seek a sustainable and integral development at international, regional, and local levels.

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“The different religions, based on their respect for each human person as a creature called to be a child of God, contribute significantly to building fraternity and defending justice in society. Dialogue between the followers of different religions does not take place simply for the sake of diplomacy, consideration or tolerance. In the words of the Bishops of India, ‘the goal of dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and harmony, and to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love.’”

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As Pope Francis affirmed during his visit to Nagasaki: “Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation. They can be achieved only on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family of today and tomorrow”.

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For over a year now, the Covid-19 pandemic has been impacting every aspect of life and human interaction, causing the loss of so many brothers and sisters and casting doubt on our economic, social, and health systems. In a word, we have been confronted with the fragility of our human nature.

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“The Covid-19 pandemic unexpectedly erupted, exposing our false securities. Aside from the different ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident. For all our hyper-connectivity, we witnessed a fragmentation that made it more difficult to resolve problems that affect us all”.

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The different aspects of this unpredictable crisis, its solutions, and any new development that the future may bring, are increasingly interconnected and interdependent. The Family of Nations is called to rethink its path, discover new forms of responsible commitment, build on positive experiences and reject negative ones. Thus, the crisis becomes an opportunity for discernment in how to shape a new integral vision for the future.

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The Holy See also implores that those who hold responsibility in the country will place themselves, and their actions, with sincere willingness at the service of the common good, of fundamental human and civil rights, of promoting social justice and national stability, for a harmonious, democratic and peaceful coexistence.

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The determination of poverty should not be limited to the sole category of “economic development”. As Pope Francis has stressed: “Some economic rules have proved effective for growth, but not for integral human development. Wealth has increased, but together with inequality, with the result that ‘new forms of poverty are emerging’. The claim that the modern world has reduced poverty is made by measuring poverty with criteria from the past that do not correspond to present-day realities… Poverty must always be understood and gauged in the context of the actual opportunities available in each concrete historical period.”

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UNCTAD 15 presents a unique occasion to coordinate worldwide efforts for a healthier future. We must transform global approaches to trade and development if we hope to chart a sustainable course to a better recovery. Nonetheless, rather than “building back better” as some have called for, we need to re-build some aspects entirely from the ground up. Indeed, for far too many, going back to “business as usual” is no longer a possibility. In short, as outlined in the Holy See’s position paper, it is imperative that the Barbados Conference mark the beginning of a new and decisive decade of development, learning from the lessons and missed opportunities of the past ten years.

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Delegation of the Holy See would like to emphasize that intellectual property should be subordinated to the requirements of the common good. This implies the need for adequate control mechanisms to monitor the logic of the market. The common tragedy that the human family is facing this year should reawaken a sense of our interconnectedness as a global community. “[We are,] all in the same boat, where one person’s problems are the problems of all. Once more we realized that no one is saved alone; we can only be saved together”.

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In his most recent Encyclical Letter, entitled “Fratelli Tutti”, Pope Francis decries the fact that the first victim of every conflict is “the human family’s innate vocation to fraternity”. Indeed, “every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil. Let us not remain mired in theoretical discussions, but touch the wounded flesh of the victims.

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As Pope Francis has said, the world will emerge either better or worse after the pandemic. What is certain is that migration will be playing an ever-increasing role in our societies. Therefore, now is the time to rethink the parameters of human coexistence through the lenses of human fraternity and solidarity. In this regard, the successful integration of migrants is essential if they are to make their meaningful contributions to our societies, cultures and to economy. At the same time, integration is a two-way process and presupposes that those who arrive are also open to integration, respecting the culture and values of their new home, neighbors and country.

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The Holy See wishes to take this occasion to renew its appeal to all States outside the Convention to consider joining in the global efforts to building together a more secure world. We owe this to the too many victims of the past and to the potential victims whose lives we can protect by the full implementation of the Convention.

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We live and develop in multi-cultural and multi-religious societies. Indeed, there is no society that is completely religiously homogenous. The polychromatic light of religions has illuminated this world and this light does not contrast the individual colors by putting them in antithesis to one another; rather, it combines them in a non-conflictual vision. Indeed, this is the big problem today: differences are very often experienced in terms of conflict.

Looking at the current scenario, we realize that “brotherhood is essential”. Human fraternity is a political criterion in a higher sense, which springs from the history and shared awareness of common dangers on the horizon. The inevitable consequence of abandoning a civilization of encounter is to resort to an incivility of conflict. There does not appear to be a middle way.

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The Holy See would like to propose to include to Art 4.2.b an explicit reference to “the right to live in a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment”. A specific provision should be established within the framework on the protection of the environment, based on principles applicable to the prevention and reparation of environmental damage, which includes proper care of nature and access to territory. Moreover, on Art 4.2.c.

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In this perspective, the Holy See would like to introduce in the Preamble the concept of “responsible stewardship”. “Neglecting to monitor the harm done to nature and the environmental impact of our decisions is only the most striking sign of a disregard for the message contained in the structures of nature itself”. My Delegation, therefore, proposes to introduce a new preambular paragraph reading, “Stressing that the urgent need to protect our common home concerns the whole human family, which must work together to seek sustainable and integral human development”.

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“The prevailing consideration, never to be forgotten, is that we are all members of the one human family. The moral obligation to care for one another flows from this fact, as does the correlative principle of placing the human person, rather than the mere pursuit of power or profit, at the very centre of public policy”

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This implies, inter alia, that, while recognizing the value of protecting intellectual property rights, we should focus on the purpose of such rights and on the limitations and potential negative consequences of the current system. “It would be sad if, for the vaccine for Covid-19, priority were to be given to the richest! It would be sad if this vaccine were to become the property of this nation or another, rather than universal and for all”.

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In his most recent Encyclical Letter, which was released this month, on the 3rd of October, entitled “Fratelli Tutti” (in English, “All brothers”) Pope Francis decries that “migrants are not seen as entitled like others to participate in the life of society, and it is forgotten that they possess the same intrinsic dignity as any person;” the Pope suggests, instead, that migrants can be a gift and invites us to change the way we perceive migration, acknowledging that “migrants bring an opportunity for enrichment and the integral human development of all” .

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In this regard, this Delegation urges that the pandemic become a wake-up call to strengthen the invaluable role of women in society. In light of the challenges and risks faced by women and girls today, aggravated by the pandemic, we would like to ask the panelists two questions:

1) How can we amplify women’s voices in the recovery phase of the pandemic for a more equitable and healthier future?

2)What practical measures – and best practices – can be shared to help prevent domestic violence?

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Pope Francis repeatedly said that “we can only get out of this situation together, as a whole humanity” . Indeed, the ongoing crisis demonstrates that no one is safe until everybody is safe. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to ensure a more humane response to migration, so that migrants and other people on the move are fully integrated, not only in emergency responses to COVID-19, but also in the recovery efforts.

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While humanity works toward concrete solutions to prevent the further spread of Covid-19, we must recommit ourselves with the same conviction to addressing the root causes of forced displacement. We already know the cure: durable solutions based on effective multilateralism, centered on the human person. Let us continue to work together to make this a reality!

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Please note that the video message of the declaration is also available on https://nuntiusge-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/a_barrera_nunt iusge_onmicrosoft_com/EbI6dCgqh2FIhPHtcyZpB0MBydPtFcMBumkcrdwMNrB1TQ?e=nGTuO4

This is the time “to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development” as an alternative to “the selfishness of particular interests and the temptation of a return to the past, at the risk of severely damaging the peaceful coexistence and development of future generations”

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This current crisis is a wake-up call for all of us: man is not the owner of nature, but the one who manages it. We are called to develop new ways of living in accordance with our human nature in setting up development policies at international, regional, and local levels that truly involve indigenous people and respect their specific identity and culture. This will constitute a formidable tool in our efforts to promote a more profound and broad understanding of authentic and integral human development.

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“We need the genuine will to tackle the root causes of the climate upheavals that are happening. Generic commitments are not enough […] We need to work today for everyone’s future. Young people and the poor will hold us to account”

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Over the last months, the whole world has witnessed the heavy toll that COVID-19 has taken on an entire generation of older people. This generation, despite the fragility among many of its members, constitutes our most valuable resource, in terms of history, experience and invaluable teaching, for both the present and future of our human family. As stated by Pope Francis, the elderly represent “the roots and memory of a people (…), their experience is a precious treasure, indispensable to look to the future with hope and responsibility.”

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The Holy See has been following with great attention the sociopolitical situation following the elections in Belarus and renews its appeal for a peaceful and just resolution to the tensions through sincere dialogue, the rejection of violence, and respect for justice and fundamental human and civil rights.

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The international community has to face the urgent moral need for new solidarity concerning natural resources. Water management must be based on social responsibility, a mentality of ecological behavior and solidarity among countries and globally, as the only possibility to strengthen the common good and preserve it for future generations.

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This is the time «to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development» as the only alternative to «the selfishness of particular interests and the temptation of a return to the past, at the risk of severely damaging the peaceful coexistence and development of future generations».

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Since the Convention on Cluster Munitions entered into force, through the combined contributions and synergies between different stakeholders, it has achieved significant progress and made a real difference in the world, especially among the victims affected. The introduction of new terminology which, among other things, is not clearly defined, would shift the attention and efforts away from the core obligations of the Convention toward political and ideological issues.

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Human rights treaties must be interpreted strictly, pursuant to the rules of interpretation codified in the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Any interpretation that goes beyond the text of treaty is null and void and would be detrimental if not also counter-productive to the application of the treaty itself.

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The Holy See recommends great caution regarding the “strengthening of synergies” between the various human rights bodies, as their nature and legal basis of each treaty differ greatly. Furthermore, the legal obligation of States differ greatly since each State has ratified a different set of human rights treaties. Therefore, the desire to promote synergy should not outweigh the necessity to respect the uniqueness of each legal regime nor lead to the analogous interpretations in the provisions of the treaties.

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The legal obligation of States differ greatly since each has ratified a different number of human rights treaties. Therefore, the desire to promote synergy should not outweigh the necessity to respect the uniqueness of each legal regime nor lead to the analogous interpretations in the provisions of the treaties.

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As stressed by Pope Francis once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift that we have freely received and must share with others. (…) Intergenerational solidarity is not an optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received from others also belongs to those who will follow us.

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The Holy See wishes to emphasize that as much as they are urgent and essential, international mechanisms and frameworks alone, however, will only be effective when we overcome the prejudices of a culture that continues to produce inequalities and leaves many people behind.

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Thus, at the specific urging of Pope Francis, the Holy See is “… committed to working with every responsible partner in a constructive dialogue aimed at proposing concrete solutions” to mass migration and refugee movements, …”with the goal of preserving human lives and dignity, alleviating suffering and advancing an authentic and integral development.

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The unprecedented situation that we live today sheds a renewed light on the interdependence and interconnectedness of people and between States. In this regard, the Holy See wishes to reiterate its urgent appeal for political and multilateral efforts to confront the root causes of large movements and forced displacement of populations.

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“Education will be ineffective, and its efforts will be sterile if we do not also concern ourselves with implementing a new approach regarding human beings, life, society, and our relationship with nature. ”

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The Holy See Delegation wishes to bring to light the tireless work of faith-based organizations, which is often risky and replete with challenges. Indeed, faith-based organizations, active at the community level, have long been on the frontlines to fight human trafficking, representing a beacon of hope for many. Faith-based organizations dedicate their work to prevention, rescue and rehabilitation of victims, by assisting them in their gradual reintegration into society and by providing psychological and spiritual assistance.

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As recalled by Pope Francis: “ This is not a time for indifference, because the whole world is suffering and needs to be united in facing the pandemic.(…) May these, the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters living in the cities and peripheries of every part of the world, not be abandoned” .

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Pope Francis has urged: “The time has come to put an end to age-old prejudices, preconceptions and mutual mistrust that are often at the base of discrimination, racism and xenophobia. No one must feel isolated, and no one is authorized to trample on the dignity and rights of others.”

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By relaying the fervent hope of Pope Francis that the heightened research motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic will be conducted “in a transparent and disinterested way, in order to find vaccines and treatments and to guarantee universal access to essential technologies that will enable every infected person, in every part of the world, to receive the necessary health care.
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The Holy See recognizes the role of the protection system of intellectual property in promoting the literary, scientific or artistic production and, generally, the inventive activity for the sake of the “common good”.
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The Holy See notes “[t]he growing influence within the international Organizations of powers and interest groups that impose their own visions and ideas, sparking new forms of ideological colonization, often in disregard for the identity, dignity and sensitivities of peoples”. It is rather unfortunate, yet increasingly less surprising given its frequency, that a UN Report, which should defend the fundamental and universal human right of freedom of religion or belief as well as the right to conscientious objection, is now attacking the very reality it is called to defend.
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The Special Rapporteur calls attention to a “close but conflictual” relationship between the perspectives of bioethics and the promotion of rights of persons with disabilities. On the other hand, my Delegation understands that both fields of activity should find a consistent foundation in the recognition of, and respect for, the inherent dignity of the human person. Pope Francis constantly encourages: “… respect for the integrity of the human being and health care from conception to natural death, considering the person in his/her singularity, always as an end and not as a means.
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The Holy See reiterates that the Catholic Church, in accord with its own nature and universal mission, carries out charitable and social activities for the whole population, with a special attention to the most in need, without discrimination. Indeed, it pursues humanitarian and not political aims, seeking to offer its own contribution to the promotion of justice, peace, reconciliation and dialogue.
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Pope Francis, in particular, has taken a strong position on the issue of nuclear weapons. In his recent visit to Nagasaki, a city full of symbolism in this regard, he recalled that “one of the deepest longings of the human heart is for security, peace and stability. The possession of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction is not the answer to this desire; indeed, they seem always to thwart it. Our world is marked by a perverse dichotomy that tries to defend and ensure stability and peace through a false sense of security sustained by a mentality of fear and mistrust, one that ends up poisoning relationships between peoples and obstructing any form of dialogue.” Indeed, how can we love one’s neighbor when over 1.8 trillion USD were spent on military expenses last year while a modest amount was allocated to humanitarian aid and projects for integral development?
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In this regard, the Holy See would like to acknowledge the generosity and solidarity shown by countries that continue to welcome and host displaced persons, in spite of their own hardships, as an essential witness to the way forward: human fraternity. Moreover, the engagement of faith-based organizations and religious communities, which have an enduring presence in the field and are often the first to provide protection during emergencies, is a reminder of the crucial role that society plays in this effort.
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The 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, a small but significant step in building mutual trust and fraternity among peoples, invites us to look anew at our shared humanity and common destiny. Regrettably, it has been proven, time and time again, that law by itself is not sufficient to eradicate conflicts and violence.
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Indeed, to the human failure that conflicts in themselves represent, anti- personnel landmines add a sense of fear that disrupts livelihoods, prevents reconciliation, peace and integral development. More than other weapons, anti- personnel landmines truly embody the conception that the other is an enemy. In this regard, I wish to repeat the call of Pope Francis and urge you to reject the temptation of viewing the other as merely an enemy to be destroyed, and not as a person endowed with inherent dignity.
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Migration is a reality that from time immemorial “has helped to foster human relationships, to create new bonds of collaboration, to bolster the exchange of knowledge and cultural and economic enrichment, to compensate for labor and demographic shortages and to expand the outlook of people to see objectively an interconnected world.”
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On 19th November 2019, the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Order of Malta to the United Nations in Geneva, the Caritas in Veritate Foundation, the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE), the International Organization for the Right to Education and Freedom of Education (OIDEL) and the International Office of Catholic Education (OIEC), organized a Special Event entitled “The Right to Education – Towards a Renewed Commitment to Education”, on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
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The Holy See considers it essential that we find our way back to a global financial system that is built on firm ethical principles, accompanied by justice, truth, fairness and solidarity. Given the massiveness and pervasiveness of today’s economic-financial systems, great responsibility lies on the shoulders of those in charge of them. But civil society, policy-makers in developing countries and elsewhere, as well as community leaders, intellectuals and all those affected by the activities of powerful economic-financial agents, must work together to bring about such reforms.
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Religions have an important part in building a culture of encounter and peace based on mutual understanding in the search for the common good. For the Catholic Church, peacebuilding through active nonviolence is the natural and necessary complement to the Church’s its continuing efforts to limit the use of force by invoking moral norms. In many parts of the world, beginning with the Middle East, such an approach is much needed now to foster fully reconciled societies and to renew peaceful civil coexistence.
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Pope Francis frequently expresses his deep concern that “violent conflicts and all-out wars continue to tear humanity apart” and that “injustices and discrimination follow one upon the other.”
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The crucial role played by indigenous communities in relationship with their ancestral lands calls for a different model of development which takes into consideration the connection between the human person and the environment, a model which finds important elements in many indigenous customs and values. An eventual international legal instrument should guarantee the achievement of equitable economic participation of native populations in the benefits coming from the commercial exploitation of biological resources and the promotion of effective means of ensuring respect for the collective ownership of traditional knowledge. The ethical challenge is that of reconciling the various rights and interests at stake in such a way that the legitimate economic interest does not compromise higher values such as the social function of inventions and knowledge and the rights of the peoples from which the knowledge and resources originate.
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With honesty, responsibility and courage, the international community has to put the knowledge and talents “at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral” (Laudato si’, 112), capable of placing economy at the service of the human person, of building peace and protecting the environment.
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The very nature of education seeks to build the foundations for peaceful dialogue and a better world, allowing every citizen to be an active protagonist for the common good of the human family.
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If technological advancement is a cause of increasingly evident inequalities, then it should not be considered real progress. As recalled by Pope Francis “if mankind’s so-called technological progress were to become an enemy of the common good, this would lead to an unfortunate regression to a form of barbarism dictated by the law of the strongest”.
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Peace is the necessary condition for the construction of fraternal societies, just and respectful of the human dignity shared by all. “The desire for peace can never be satisfied by military means alone […] Peace must be built on justice, socio-economic development, freedom, respect for fundamental human rights, the participation of all in public affairs and the building of trust between peoples”.
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Pope Francis in his speech at the Global Conference of Human Fraternity said: “There is no alternative: either we will build the future together or there will be no future. Religions in particular cannot renounce the urgent task of building bridges between peoples and cultures. The time has come when religions should more actively exert themselves, with courage and audacity, and without pretense, to help the human family deepen the capacity for reconciliation, the vision of hope and the concrete paths of peace.”
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As Pope Francis noted, a “civilization will move forward if it knows how to respect wisdom, the wisdom of the elderly. In a civilization in which there is no room for the elderly or where they are thrown away because they create problems, this society carries with it the virus of death.”
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The Holy See recommends that the different political and social stakeholders, with a renewed spirit of responsibility and reconciliation.
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As rightly noted in the General Comment No. 15 of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) “water is a limited natural resource and a public good fundamental for life and health” and is “indispensable for leading a life in human dignity”.
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While the primary responsibility to protect and assist IDPs under their jurisdiction lies with the State authorities, the Holy See often has urged shared responsibility to address the root causes of forced displacement. This requires courage and political will; bringing to an end conflicts which breed hatred, violence and revenge; striving for peace and reconciliation, including interreligious dialogue; and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
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As Pope Francis recently said: “Our times have witnessed a growth of individualism and egocentricity, attitudes that tend to regard others through a lens of cool utility, valuing them according to criteria of convenience and personal benefit”.
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The Holy See Delegation constantly has recommended the need to prudently and fairly regulate the economic activities of Transnational Corporations, in a manner that is inspired and guided by high ideals of fairness, solidarity and concern for the authentic development of the human family.
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Pope Francis recently recalled that “Teaching cannot be merely a trade, but is a mission”. Education, therefore, must not be considered a commodity, nor students and their families regarded as clients. “education is the right of everyone, including the poor”. Parents have the primary “right to educate their child according to their religious and moral beliefs, including dimensions of human love and related matters concerning the nature of sexuality, marriage and the family”.
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The Holy See, according to its nature, has always raised its voice in defense of the dignity and fundamental rights of those who are experiencing humanitarian emergencies, especially with respect to, among many other things: providing physical protection, working with police and border control agents, facilitating access to justice and humanitarian aid, as well as housing, emergency health care, and education through local efforts and mediating tensions with host communities.
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With regard to the complex challenges of migration today, Pope Francis has called for a response “…less concerned with calculations, than with the need for an equitable distribution of responsibilities, an honest and sincere assessment of the alternatives and a prudent management. A just policy is one at the service of the person, of every person involved; a policy that provides for solutions that can ensure security, respect for the rights and dignity of all
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The Holy See welcomes the sustained emphasis on universal health coverage, primary health care and health workforce as key components of the global drive to deliver better health for all. Since the Alma-Ata Declaration, the world has for over 40 years strived to achieve needed access to quality and affordable health care.
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“This fidelity to the spiritual impels the Pope – and consequently the Holy See – to show concern for the whole human family and its needs, including those of the material and social order. Nonetheless, the Holy See has no intention of interfering in the life of States; it seeks instead to be an attentive listener, sensitive to issues involving humanity, out of a sincere and humble desire to be at the service of every man and woman.”
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The Report of the High-Level Panel represents a point of departure from which we could start to discuss remedies and correct the misalignments and policy incoherencies between the individual and corporate rights of inventors, innovators or manufacturers and broader human rights.
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The Delegation of the Holy See notes that any definition of development should meet the satisfaction of both material and non-material basic needs and considers it to be of paramount importance that human persons play an active role and fully participate in shaping their own reality. The Holy See also believes that the achievement of a degree of individual and collective self-reliance, as well as the respect for the principles of equality and non-discrimination, should be considered as essential parts of the development process. Such an approach could represent an effective answer to the dynamic nature of a right that can be relevant for both current and future challenges.
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The Delegation of the Holy See notes that any definition of development should meet the satisfaction of both material and non-material basic needs and considers it to be of paramount importance that human persons play an active role and fully participate in shaping their own reality. The Holy See also believes that the achievement of a degree of individual and collective self-reliance, as well as the respect for the principles of equality and non-discrimination, should be considered as essential parts of the development process. Such an approach could represent an effective answer to the dynamic nature of a right that can be relevant for both current and future challenges.
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“It is important that ethics once again play its due part in the world of finance and that markets serve the interests of peoples and the common good of humanity.”4 We look forward to this session and hope that the outcomes of this week will pave the way for a fairer and more inclusive system of trade.
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This growing awareness represents a change in the public perception, which is also a driving force behind the implementation and enforcement of IHL. While autonomous weapons systems may be considered “normal” in the statistical sense of the term and thus deemed acceptable, there are still behaviors that IHL prohibits, or that, although not explicitly prohibited, remain forbidden by the dictates of morality, by spiritual values, experience and soldierly virtues.
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As conveyed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every person, “endowed with reason and conscience”, has the inherent right to express his/her highest dignity by seeking the truth and acting in conformity with it.
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The right to a healthy environment, at the national and the international levels, provides a compelling basis for a global recognition of the right to a healthy and sustainable environment. Such a common legal approach would give us a solid basis for implementing preventable measure against air pollution and for entailing large investments “to planning a sustainable and diversified agriculture, developing renewable and less polluting forms of energy, encouraging a more efficient use of energy, promoting a better management of marine and forest resources”.
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The Permanent Mission of the Holy See welcomes that the report acknowledges the role played by fiscal policy in achieving equality, tackling discrimination, and strengthening governance and accountability. Fiscal and monetary policies, indeed, represent powerful means for redistributing wealth and funding development. In this spirit, tackling tax evasion and avoidance, ensuring a progressive tax system, reprioritizing tax expenditures according to situations of social vulnerability, should be top priorities on the Governments’ political agenda.
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International Labour Organization (ILO), the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, the Permanent Delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, the World Council of Churches, the Caritas in Veritate Foundation, and the Project “The future of work, labour after Laudato Si” organized a Special Event in the context of the commemoration of the Centenary of the ILO on the following theme: “Rethinking Labour and the Future of Work – An Interreligious Perspective”.
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All the teaching on labour expounded by the Catholic Church came from the principle that the human person should always be at the centre of every political, economic, social, and individual decision. Recognizing the centrality of the human person means restoring dignity to work and production processes. Human dignity, far from being an abstract concept, should always be at the core of the political agendas, enabling everyone to realize and fulfil his or her aspirations and talents
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The concept of the centrality of the human person has emerged through the history and the conscience of the peoples of the world constituting the foundation of the corpus of human rights instruments that the international community has elaborated in this last century. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “a true milestone on the path of humanity’s moral progress”,1 recognizes and affirms that fundamental human rights stem from the inherent dignity and worth of the human person and, therefore, they apply to every stage of life and in every situation
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The theme chosen this year, ‘welcoming the stranger’ is of central importance for the Holy See. Throughout history, humanity has been characterized by a fragile distinction between “them” and “us”. The concern for those who are excluded and marginalized is always at the core of the Holy See’s diplomatic actions. Pope Francis has said that we are living in “a time of fear before the vast dimensions of globalization: fears that are often focused on the stranger, on he who is different, poor… as if he were an enemy.”
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The Holy See urges that the proposed Plan of Action acknowledge the need to engage a wide range of stakeholders in efforts to advance health promotion among refugees and migrants. While the engagement of Member States is essential to these efforts, many civil society organizations and faith-based organizations can and should be engaged in the complex and multi-faceted actions that will be required to accomplish this goal.
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The Holy See affirms the call to mobilize all stakeholders to take joint action to build stronger and sustainable primary health care towards achieving universal health coverage.
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L’effettiva protezione del diritto alla vita è il prerequisito per il godimento di tutti gli altri diritti umani. Pertanto, il diritto alla vita richiede un impegno nel sostenere la vita, dal concepimento alla morte naturale. In tutti i suoi interventi presso le Nazioni Unite e le altre organizzazioni internazionali, la Santa Sede sostiene i principi originali della Carta delle Nazioni Unite e della Dichiarazione Universale, mantenendo la concezione antropologica dell’essere umano inteso come individuo in relazione costruttiva con altri essere umani, condividendo la stessa dignità dal concepimento fino alla morte naturale.
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As the Vatican delegation prepares to arrive at a UN global summit on migration set to take place in Morocco this week, one of Rome’s major players on the UN scene told Crux the proposed agreement is basically good news for the Church’s concerns even if certain “tensions” remain.
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/12/vatican-envoy-urges-media-to-end-cherry-picking-migration-news/

Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva and the Caritas in Veritate Foundation organized the launching of the publication on “Universal Access to Medicines – Ethical Reflections on Ending Pediatric HIV“ in conjunction with the “High-Level Dialogue to Scale Up Diagnosis and Treatment of Peadiatric HIV” convened by His Eminence, Cardinal Peter Kodwoh Appiah Turkson at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
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The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Order of Malta to the United Nations in Geneva, the Caritas in Veritate Foundation, the International Catholic Child Bureau, the Vatican Pontifical Academy for Life and the European Centre for Law and Justice organized a Special Event at the United Nations in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), on the theme: “70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Dignity of Life”. A booklet entitled “Right to Life and Human Dignity” was distributed to all participants.
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In this regard, it is encouraging that States that are not yet party to the Convention are joining its spirit. This Delegation welcomes the initial and symbolic efforts of joint mine removal projects in the Joint Security Area in the Korean Peninsula, which could serve as a testimony that security is better achieved through dialogue, trust-building, and disarmament.
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It is also from this perspective that the Holy See tries “to help understand and deal with this complex phenomenon. It has done so with sincere concern for the people involved and with respect to States who are primarily responsible for welcoming them, in a spirit of openness, responsibility and collaboration.
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The Holy See hopes that the flexibility of the CCW can lead to effective improvements of the protection of civilian and combatants through further developments in IHL, fully considering the nature of “modern armed conflicts and the physical, moral and spiritual suffering that accompany them.
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The role of UNCTAD in helping developing countries to attain such long-term debt sustainability has been of great importance and will remain indispensable for the foreseeable future. The Delegation of the Holy See calls upon UNCTAD, and the international community, to take seriously its responsibility to advance a development-friendly international economic environment within which developing countries can make use of external debt in productive ways that help protect the well-being of its citizens.
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The New York Declaration on Migrants and Refugees of 19 September 2016, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, set the international community on a journey to achieving greater global solidarity with refugees and with host communities. To accomplish, as the Declaration states, “a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility to be better able to protect and assist refugees and to support the host States and communities involved” is a task that surpasses the good will of any single country and calls for flexibility, coherence and cooperation among the members of the family of nations.
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Political decisions, social responsibility on the part of the business community and criteria governing investments, all of these must be guided by the pursuit of the long-term common good and concrete solidarity among generations. As recalled by Pope Francis “an interdependent world is calling us to devise and implement a long-term common project that invests today in order to build for tomorrow.
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The Delegation of the Holy See would like to recall that our efforts during this first session should be devoted “not only to create ‘ethical’ sectors or segments of the economy or the world of finance, but to ensure that the whole economy — the whole of finance — is ethical, not merely by virtue of an external label, but by its respect for requirements intrinsic to its very nature”.
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The Delegation of the Holy See is aware that the challenges of business and human rights demand a negotiation with a constructive and positive approach. Our ultimate goal is the achievement of a balanced and effective instrument, which could represent an effective tool for all the parties involved.
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The Holy See Delegation wishes to recall that it is incumbent upon all of us to address the root causes of forced displacement. This requires courage and political will, bringing to an end conflicts which breed hatred and violence, and striving for peace, reconciliation and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Forced displacement is not just a matter of “bad luck”; more often than not, it is the result of political decisions. Ultimately, the most comprehensive and sound way to achieve durable solutions, and to realize the dream of every refugee, is to ensure the rights of all to live in their countries of origin, and to thrive in dignity, peace, and security.
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Cresce la preoccupazione nel mondo per lo sviluppo e l’impiego di armi autonome letali, ma segna il passo il negoziato internazionale avviato tra i Paesi firmatari della Convenzione Onu sulle armi convenzionali (Ccw). Intervista con mons. Ivan Jurkovič, osservatore permanente della Santa Sede presso le Nazioni Unite ed altre organizzazioni internazionali a Ginevra.
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The effort to develop “intelligent machines” must be continuously directed to the greater good, reducing the poverty gap and facing general needs for health, education, happiness and sustainability. Unless it is carefully directed to the public good, AI may soon become a source of concern both for the economy and for the very stability of society. As Pope Francis remarked: “artificial intelligence, robotics and other technological innovations must be so employed that they contribute to the service of humanity and to the protection of our common home, rather than to the contrary, as some assessments unfortunately foresee”.
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Young people, nowadays more than ever, “dream of safety, stability, fulfilment” and they wish to affirm the inherent dignity of work, to participate actively in shaping their future, and that of society as a whole. However, the world economy, although growing, is not able to create enough quality jobs for young people. This phenomenon occurs as much in emerging as in developed countries. Young women are the most vulnerable, often becoming victims of different forms of exploitation, unjust working conditions and inadequate levels of remuneration.
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“Integral human development and the full exercise of human dignity cannot be imposed.” Disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups must be enabled to participate in decision-making mechanisms as dignified agents of their own destiny. This participatory approach will be successful only if it respects the principle of subsidiarity. States and multilateral agencies must reach out to all segments of society, in a “right relationship with all those areas in which human social life develops – friends, communities, towns and cities, schools, business and unions, provinces and nations”.
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The phenomena of global interconnection and interdependency highlight how no individual State can cope with all present and future challenges we have to face, from migration to climate change. In this regard, it must be stressed that water is a precious resource to which every human being has a basic and inalienable right, as well as a responsibility not to waste.The phenomena of global interconnection and interdependency highlight how no individual State can cope with all present and future challenges we have to face, from migration to climate change. In this regard, it must be stressed that water is a precious resource to which every human being has a basic and inalienable right, as well as a responsibility not to waste. Thus, it is wise for there to be an integration of migration issues in the consideration of any water governance framework and, reciprocally, a consideration of water management issues within any migration governance framework.
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Only through a strong ethical/legal perspective, which takes full consideration of IHL rules and principles, can we proceed to analyze the potential functions and technological aspects in order to clarify which kind of systems are not allowed. This approach to the issue of characterization through an indirect search for the definition of the systems under consideration could allow us to identify, including a priori, the systems that we cannot accept because of their functions, based on an ethical and legal common framework. Ultimately, respecting this legal/ethical starting point is also a way to ensure the respect for the political authority and its human content and meaning.
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The Holy See Delegation insists once again on the importance of keeping a holistic and integrated approach, with a focus on the centrality of the human person, truly capable of improving lives of millions of refugees and host communities alike. In this regard, we appreciate the emphasis on education, health, and the promotion of decent work.
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The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) is not intended to serve as a legally binding instrument, it contains action-oriented commitments and arrangements that can be considered as morally binding on the international community as a whole. The Delegation of the Holy See wishes to stress once again the importance for the GCR to be firmly centered on the human person, urging that the dignity of each and every human person and his/her fundamental human rights should guide and underpin all aspects of the Program of Action.
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The Holy See is convinced that equality of men and women, and therefore the equality of their fundamental human rights, is rooted in the inviolable dignity of the human person. This essential principle of equality also stands as the foundation for properly understanding the beauty of complementarity and the reciprocal interdependence between men and women. A focus on “gender equality”, that is, the equality of the two sexes, men and women, should not inhibit, in any way, the understanding and recognition of their uniqueness and mutual enrichment.
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The Holy See Delegation has continuously recalled the necessity of an appropriate regulation of the activities of Transnational Corporations, guided by an ethical approach that can ensure a decent standard of living realized through respect of human dignity, rather than a mere economic interest. Businesses make a contribution to the community by fostering the special dignity of human work. Employment, just like business, is a noble and essential vocation, it is “part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfilment”.
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Trafficking in persons constitutes the largest manifestation of modern slavery and “a shocking offence against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights”. In our globalised and interconnected world, with more than 900 million people on the move, this transnational crime has developed as a lucrative business, taking advantage of conflict, misery, corruption, lack of education and the struggle for a better future. Albeit the number of trafficked men is rising, women and children represent the biggest part of victims, often sold by their relatives and forced into marriage, sex or labour.
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The Holy See Delegation shares some of the concerns outlined by the Special Rapporteur in his Report, in particular regarding children on the move and detention, which can never be in their best interest. Offering asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and victims of trafficking in persons an opportunity to find peace requires a strategy combining four actions: welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating.
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The Delegation of the Holy See takes note of the report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, an issue that continues to be one of the greatest human rights concerns of our time. Despite the progress achieved, violence against women and girls, in its different forms and various contexts, remains a grave scourge at every level of society.
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The Holy See greatly appreciates the High Commissioner’s determination and diligence in protecting the criteria for determining refugee status in accord with the 1951 Geneva Convention and the related 1967 Protocol. The urgency of this matter was repeatedly mentioned during the consultations related to the proposed Global Compact for Refugees. The Holy See has full confidence that the High Commissioner and his staff can and should respect the dignity, human rights, and diverse needs of each and every refugee boy, girl, woman and man, without introducing new and confusing categories of “diversities”.
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The Holy See wishes to reaffirm that every human being has an inalienable right to an education, which aims at the formation of the human person in the pursuit of his/her ultimate end and of the good of the societies of which he or she is a member, and in whose obligations, as an adult, he or she will share.
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Since “everyone has the right to enjoy peace” all States must strive to fulfil their solemn duty and responsibility to find paths to a sustainable peace, which is the fruit of justice, engaging in “dynamic, participatory process[es] where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation…”.
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The Holy See welcomes and supports the emphasis of the Draft on education, health, and the promotion of decent work. In line with the overarching objective of “leaving no-one behind”, it is important that refugees are not put on “hold” or “standby” but, rather, that they be offered hope and positive expectations through access to opportunities leading toward their integral development.
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Changing refugee situations require flexible and tailored approaches to offer a future to people who have been forced to flee as well as to support the States and communities that generously host them.

Changing refugee situations require flexible and tailored approaches to offer a future to people who have been forced to flee as well as to support the States and communities that generously host them. While the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) is not intended to serve as a legally binding instrument, it contains action-oriented commitments that can be considered as morally binding on the international community as a whole.
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In order to promote and protect the enjoyment of human rights by older persons and to foster their dignity and well-being, society must overcome what Pope Francis calls the “throw-away culture ”. A healthy and balanced society, will ensure and enable supportive environments for people in old age where they, in turn, become in the first-person agents of development for all.
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The Holy See strongly emphasises the intrinsic connection that exists between economic reasoning and ethical reasoning. Unfortunately, this connection has broken down in many areas of the international financial system and financial sectors, again reinforcing tendencies towards the growing influence of large corporations and abusive business practices.
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Growing global economic and power imbalances, increasing demographic, social and environmental challenges and persistent cyclical financial instability do not only demand continuous reflection and debate by policy makers and leaders at all levels, but also their sustained and continuous commitment. The ILO, with its unique tripartite structure, its competence and longstanding experience, remains one of the most significant actors to address the challenges of its social justice mandate in the future.
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The Holy See Delegation shares many of the concerns and observations considered in the report of the Director-General: including efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage; to improve specific data related to the health of women, children, and adolescents; to end violence against women and children; and to revise child health policies and programs to extend their range from infancy to 18 years of age. Moreover, the Holy See cannot accept the contradictory claim that promotion of so-called “safe abortion” is a means to “protect” the human rights of women and girls, when, in fact, abortion denies the unborn child his or her most basic right – to life itself.
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The efforts to advance health for all people must take account of the essential nexus between environment and health, which involves also the management of environmental determinants of health. The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.
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The Holy See, therefore, once again “calls for the courage to say ‘yes’ to encounter and ‘no’ to conflict: ‘yes’ to dialogue and ‘no’ to violence; ‘yes’ to negotiations and ‘no’ to hostilities; ‘yes’ to respect for agreements and ‘no’ to acts of provocation; ‘yes’ to sincerity and ‘no’ to duplicity. All of this takes courage, it takes strength and tenacity”.
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The Holy See agrees with the critical importance of adopting policies that allow refugee children to access quality education from the early stages of their displacement, in order to help protect them from human trafficking, forced labor and other forms of slavery. Schools are a form of protection where the safety of children can be monitored and fostered.
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Access to education and healthcare inspires hope among refugees and greatly contributes to restoring their dignity. Notwithstanding its non-binding legal nature, the Global Compact on Refugees will have a strong morally binding character. The Delegation of the Holy See considers it important to assure that this document aims at truly improving the lives of millions of refugees who continually seek international protection and at assisting those local communities that generously host them.
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The Holy See Delegation wishes to reiterate the importance of keeping an all-inclusive and integrated approach throughout the whole Draft, with a focus on the centrality of the human person. A holistic approach remains, indeed, the best way to detect and overcome harmful stereotypes, to avoid stigmatizing anyone in respect to a few specific aspects, and to take into account all dimensions and fundamental aspects of the person.
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Non-proliferation and disarmament are not only ethical responsibilities but moral and legal obligations toward all members of the human family. As we move towards the 2020 Review Conference, the Delegation of the Holy See hopes that these positive developments will contribute to a general “awakening of consciences”, inspiring additional effects that solidify the international efforts towards integral nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, through universal and unconditional adherence to, and implementation of, the letter and spirit of the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty, as well as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
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The Delegation of the Holy See views the current discussion on the Right to Development as a timely dialogue within the United Nations, having regard to the widening economic and social gap between the “haves” and “have-nots”. The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development represents an “important sign of hope” through which the international community committed itself to effective measures to eradicate the root causes of those dire problems that too many people in the world are still facing. The centrality of the person, in its individual dignity and collective solidarity, is the essential component to be preserved and mainstreamed in all of the economic and political decisions on every level. This twofold principle undergirds the right to development and certainly applies to every sector of life.
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Weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, create a false sense of security. The tragic illusion of a “peace” based on fear is superficial at best. People aspire to true peace, which is the opposite of fear. This desire “is one of the deepest longings of the human heart. It is rooted in the Creator who makes all people members of the one human family.
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The world economy is increasingly influenced by digital technologies. Despite the significant advantages of such advances, there remains the potential and severe risk of profound negative consequences with regard to industrial organization, skills development, production and trade. Appropriate regulatory frameworks are required. Information technology and the digital economy, including e-commerce, are new trends that will have an impact not only upon global trade but also on development. The digital economy is expanding in multiple ways.
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The current world situation encourages us to consider that different yet equally important perspectives are ever more intertwined and complementary: the richness of faith and spiritual traditions, the significance of business and scientific developments, as well as the concrete efforts at various levels of both government and civil society, are all necessary for attaining an equitable and sustainable development.
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The Global Compacts “need to be inspired by compassion, foresight and courage, so as to take advantage of every opportunity to advance the peace-building process. Only in this way can the realism required of international politics avoid surrendering to cynicism and to the globalization of indifference”.
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The right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health should be exercised through non-discriminatory, comprehensive laws, policies and practices firmly rooted in the centrality of the human person and founded on the right to life. ” It would be highly regrettable to impose some measures that would cause lengthy discussions on their content while ignoring the attention due to women’s dignity and the specific cultural and moral values of their country of origin.
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As done in the previous formal consultations, the Holy See Delegation has stressed the importance for the Global Compact on Refugees to be firmly centered on the human person, urging that the dignity of each and every human person and his/her fundamental human rights should guide and underpin all aspects of the Program of Action. The Holy See stated on the importance of keeping a holistic and integrated approach throughout the whole Draft text, with a focus on the centrality of the human person. A holistic approach remains, indeed, the best way to detect and overcome harmful stereotypes.
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The Holy See recognizes the difficulties and resistance in foreseeing and fully understanding the implications of autonomous weapon systems. One thing is certainly clear: the development of LAWS will provide the capacity of altering irreversibly the nature of warfare, becoming even more inhumane, putting in question the humanity of our societies and, in any case, compelling all States to reassess their military capabilities.
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The patenting of life forms could sometimes serve as a tool to support biotechnologies that are demanding, both from an ethical point of view and from the perspective of a “development-friendly” intellectual property system. Private monopolistic interests should not be allowed to impose themselves upon those biological resources, from which are derived the medical and basic food requirements of human life.
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In the current international situation, ways and means are not lacking to ensure that every man and every woman on earth can enjoy living conditions worthy of the human person. The Holy See trusts that the efforts […] will lead to results worthy of a world community growing ever more interdependent and grounded in the principles of solidarity and mutual assistance.
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The Delegation of the Holy See expects that the Global Compact on Refugees will make a difference in alleviating the stories of pain and in supporting the stories of hope among those caught in a desperate search for a more secure and dignified existence.
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Children require heightened attention, by all members of the human family who must share the responsibility to protect and help them to enjoy their God-given human dignity. In fact, as remembered by Pope Francis, “a people that does not take care of its elderly, its children and its youth have no future, because it abuses both memory and promise”.
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The common good is the aim to which all States, and by extension the international community, aspire. It can be determined and achieved only through an inclusive process of dialogue and in seeking the true meaning of the fundamental rights and freedoms of every human person, whose intimate nature is to seek the truth and celebrate it in the religious experience.
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The UDHR represents a fundamental act through which peoples, states and international institutions affirm that the “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” The Holy See believes it to be of the utmost importance that the international community and governments should focus their policies and activities on the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of every person and community.
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Human rights criteria for evaluating foreign debt can be an important tool for moving development from a narrow “economic” understanding to one based on integral human development. The Holy See again raises its concern with the so-called, “vulture funds” that take advantage of economies in distress.
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The Zero Draft acknowledges the generous and admirable responses of those local families and communities that, in spite of their own hardships, have kept their borders and hearts open to welcome refugees. These societies ought to receive tangible and prompt support from the international community. In fact, without solidarity, it would be impossible to assure refugees “the widest possible exercise of their fundamental rights and freedoms” to which they are entitled.
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The concern that it bears for each person and for the whole of humanity is the only interest that the Holy See defends in the framework of its diplomatic action and on the international scene. It has no commercial or military interests to defend or to pursue, but serves rather the interests of the person, of every person. This way it places itself at the service of the Common Good of the whole human family, reminding that our differences are not an obstacle to dialogue, but rather a vital source of encouragement in our common desire to know the Truth.
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The Holy See Delegation recognizes the urgent need of more than a billion people who would benefit from one or more assistive products, as part of their medical treatment. It further highlights the limited access to such devices, especially for people living in low-income countries or even for poor people living in high- and middle-income countries. The report produced by the Secretariat underlines the need for more research and development in particular on basic, low-technology products that could be more readily accessible, affordable, and acceptable to all people.
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The Holy See delegation shares many of the concerns and observations considered in the report of the Director-General: including efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage. The Holy See raises serious concerns, however, about the inclusion of an item on so-called “safe abortion” in the report and in the Global Strategy in general. The Holy See does not consider abortion or abortion services to be a dimension of reproductive health or reproductive health care.
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The world is still facing, however, an unequal global distribution of resources and opportunities; today, we are better positioned to take concrete actions that can address inequality between and among countries and peoples. In 2015, world leaders agreed on how to situate better the international community to address some of the most pressing global challenges. Adhering to principles such as equity, inclusiveness, common but differentiated responsibility, special and differential treatment, less than full reciprocity and the right to development, is crucial to strengthening the role of developing countries in the global economy. Our action in a multilateral trade normative system should contribute toward the realization of common aspirations to achieve prosperity, dignity and a better planet for all.
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While it is important to respect the legitimate interests of States, Pope Francis encourages that migration be regarded with confidence, as an opportunity to build peace and not as a threat, “within the limits allowed by a correct understanding of the common good”. He urges that all those fleeing from conflict, hunger, discrimination, persecution, extreme poverty, natural disasters and environmental degradation be received and protected. In this regard, Pope Francis appeals to the political community, civil society, and religious institutions to join forces in offering a shared response to the complexities of the modern migration phenomenon. This is summarized in a document that the Holy See has submitted as an official contribution to the processes leading to the two Global Compacts with four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate.
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As a matter of fact, since ancient times, sport has been seen as a way to help the human person to mature and develop, since it has the potential to moderate human instinct and the capacity to gather people together towards a common goal, promoting integration, solidarity, and peace. Furthermore, sports have universal appeal and the ability draw people from diverse cultures and backgrounds together in friendly competition. Thus, sport has the potential of helping overcome individualism and selfishness, leaving space for the logic of brotherhood and unity, the only elements capable of authentically promoting the common good, at all levels.
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As Pope Francis recently recalled: “Despite the praiseworthy attempt to lessen, through codification of humanitarian law, the negative consequences of hostilities on the civilian population, all too often we receive, from various theatres of war, evidence of atrocious crimes and grave offences against individuals and their dignity, perpetrated with utter disregard for the most elementary consideration of their humanity. The flexibility of the CCW and its “open-door” nature for further developments in IHL must take into account adequately the nature of “modern armed conflicts and the physical, moral and spiritual sufferings that accompany them”. This is the mandate of the CCW. Reinforcing and respecting the rules of IHL are its contribution to a culture of dialogue and peace. The CCW is efficacious to the degree that this mandate is truly fulfilled.
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As recent emergencies have demonstrated, there is a constant increase in the number of people fleeing their countries of origin because of conflicts, violence, persecution, political repression, human rights violation, climate change, natural disasters and extreme poverty. The source, intensity, and interplay of these factors vary from place to place, but there is a tragic common denominator: millions of people forced to leave their homes, their livelihoods, their families and their countries, often risking their lives in search for safety, peace and a life of dignity.
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The securing of borders and the wellbeing of refugees and asylum seekers should not be considered mutually exclusive priorities but rather mutually reinforcing and, indeed, beneficial. Defending the inalienable rights of refugees, “ensuring their fundamental freedoms and respecting their dignity are duties from which no one can be exempted. Protecting these brothers and sisters is a moral imperative which translates into adopting juridical instruments, both international and national, that must be clear and relevant.
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A stark reality, particularly evident in weaponry, is that such rapid advances have often outpaced thoughtful developments in human responsibility, values, conscience and international humanitarian law. The historical experience of regulations or prohibitions of certain weapons best illustrates this reality. Tragically, the international legal frameworks came too late and only after grave human tragedies had taken place.
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His Excellency Mgr. Ivan Jurcovič holding his Statement within the International Seminary entitled: The Role of Religions in promoting world peace expressed the concern about the increase of violence across the globe due to political and economic interests. His Excellency stressed on the number of casualties in conflicts: 90% are civilians. Peace is not only absence of war but is a process in which human dignity is fully respected and the integral development of every person and people is pursued. In every part of the World different religions, different men and women of good will work to promote this concept of peace. The path to peace is made of concrete actions such as disarmament both nuclear and conventional, and through the solidarity and cooperation between rich and poor countries.
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There is a need of international cross-border enforcement, including broader and strengthened laws, giving broad legal rights to bring actions that can hold companies that violate human rights accountable in their home countries. Soft law—the establishment of norms of the kind reflected in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights—are critical; but they will not suffice..
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In an era of digitization and globalization, the needs of developing countries are even more critical. Access to knowledge goods, both to enrich human resources and facilitate economic growth, is an indispensable requirement for the international system. Developing countries have a role to play by actively implementing limitations and exceptions in a manner that best suits their domestic needs, especially the need to stimulate local creativity. In this sense, the efforts of developing countries to make greater use of flexibilities, limitations and exceptions to intellectual property to advance public policy objectives could represent a tremendous step forward
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While it is important to share the responsibility and burden of refugee reception and resettlement and to rightly stress what States are doing for refugees, it is also fair to ask ourselves: what are refugees doing for the host communities?
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When faced with large-scale situations it is important that receiving countries, especially developing ones, be given timely support to scale up or establish appropriate procedures to ensure that those with international protection needs are duly recognized. In this regard, the Delegation of the Holy See wishes to stress that international protection has to be seen as a dynamic and actionoriented function, rather than an abstract concept, aimed at safeguarding the dignity and safety of persons.
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The generous and admirable responses of those countries that, in spite of their own hardships, have kept their borders and hearts open to welcome refugees, ought to receive tangible and prompt support from the international community.
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The enormous number of people on the move is a tangible sign of increasing inequalities, socio-economic imbalances and unregulated globalization. Beyond the political and legal aspects of irregular situations, we must not lose sight of the human face of migration. Indubitably, every State has the sovereign right and responsibility to regulate the movement of people and should do so with a clear system of migration laws. The approach to migration in all of its aspects, including irregular migration, should begin first and foremost from the perspective of the human person, and his or her fundamental rights as such
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The noble goals set by the 1951 Refugee Convention are progressively being eroded. Existing rights in refugee law are no longer honored because of security concerns and, as a consequence, the adoption of stricter acceptance policies impacts dangerously on the safety of refugees and inevitably leads to increased smuggling..
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The main goal of the international community in developing a fair regime of intellectual property rights should aim toward the good of all and the pursuit of more equitable international relations, especially regarding poorer and more vulnerable people.
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The Delegation of the Holy See remains seriously concerned by the deteriorating socio-economic and humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The situation is further aggravated by the economic and budgetary crisis severely affecting the population, because of the lack of food, of medicines and of the risk of the outbreak of epidemics. Especially vulnerable are women, children and those with disabilities.
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It is increasingly urgent, nowadays, to recognize and attribute full respect to every person, to their dignity, identity, history and tradition. The Holy See reaffirms its strong condemnation of all forms of racial discrimination against all persons, and in a particular way against women, whose active presence in society provides an irreplaceable value in political, economic and social life.
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The Holy See maintains that the problematic relation between some transnational companies and indigenous groups, especially in the area of extractive industries, needs to be addressed. It is essential that the voice of these peoples is heard and protected at the level of national and international debates.
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Achieving inclusive growth and development requires policies aimed at reducing inequality in income and assets; fostering social dialogue, particularly among workers and employers; promoting social justice and reducing vulnerabilities. Accordingly, it is also worth recognizing that economic activities function not only through the self-regulation of markets, but they should also be at the service of persons. Any development and growth strategy should aim at the promotion of the human person and the primacy of his/her work.
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Trafficking in persons for labour and sexual exploitation in the private economy generates an estimated US$ 150 billion in illegal profits per year. The irregular employment or migration status of some migrant workers make them particularly vulnerable to exploitation and creates barriers to them seeking legal redress.It is necessary to involve individual countries taking measures not only to prosecute traffickers and persecutors but also to take measures to protect victims.
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Regional Trade Agreements and multilateralism must be centred on the integral development of all human beings. Economic policies must respect the dignity of every person and negotiations must promote the common good.UNCTAD can play a fundamental role in shaping a new spirit in global trade relations.
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Water-related challenges need to engage all stakeholders: international, regional, national, local, public and private, and civil society. Management decisions that impact the distribution of water must also respond to the criterion of justice. The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation must be promoted in such a way that existing inequalities are reduced to the greater wellbeing of the least advantaged.
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Since the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) entered into force, through the combined contributions and synergies between different stakeholders, it has achieved important progress and made a real difference in the world.The Holy See remains firm and determined to contribute to the success of this humanitarian challenge. We appeal to all States outside the Convention to consider joining the global efforts and our common goal in building together a more humane, more secure and more cooperative world.
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Integration of migrants in host countries is neither assimilation nor incorporation. It is a two-way process, rooted essentially in the joint recognition of the other’s cultural richness: it is not the superimposing of one culture over another, nor mutual isolation, with the insidious and dangerous risk of creating ghettos. In this two-way process, migrants “are duty bound not to close themselves off from the culture and traditions of the receiving country, respecting above all its laws”.
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In addressing the vulnerabilities of migrants, the Holy See wishes to reiterate the importance of developing and implementing a holistic and integrated approach firmly centered on the human person and his/her dignity. Such an approach remains, indeed, the best way to detect and overcome harmful stereotypes, to avoid stigmatizing anyone in response to certain personal or social characteristics.
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The Global Compact on Refugees should aim at delivering “agreements” built on the long-standing values and principles, already articulated by States and thus enshrined in international instruments related to mass movements of refugees. To this end, as Pope Francis has appealed, our shared response should “be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate”
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Access to affordable medicines no longer represents a challenge just for the Least Developed and other developing countries; it has also become an increasingly urgent issue for developed countries.The challenge of developing and implementing effective and equitable policy measures for innovation and access to meet public health needs is dynamic in nature, evolving with disease burden, progress in technology and diversification of innovation systems. Adaptive solutions will be needed to address changing and diversified needs.
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Although the Holy See acknowledges the particular risks that women and children face in humanitarian emergencies contexts and their specific and integral needs regarding access to basic healthcare, essential obstetric services, sanitary and food security, the Holy See cannot accept as an appropriate solution those services that provide and/or promote abortion.
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Given the dramatic and continuous deterioration of the humanitarian and human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Holy See expresses its deeply concern for the grave, widespread and apparently planned attacks against the civilian population, religious institutions and faith based organizations, particularly in the Kasai region.
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The scale of migration movements is such that only a systematic, comprehensive and active cooperation between States, civil society, international organizations and the private sector can be effective in adequately managing such movements. It is a moral imperative that we are all united in preventing smugglers and human traffickers from taking advantage of people in desperate and vulnerable situations.
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the importance of spiritual care in helping persons living with, or affected by, mental health problems. Spiritual care should not be confused with, or mistaken by, so-called “faith healing” to the exclusion of medical, psychological, and social assistance. Spiritual care is an important component of “… integral care, that considers the person in his entirety, and that unites… the human body, with its psychological, social and spiritual dimension…”
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TThe future of work that we would like to see will be the result of our common efforts to realize a common vision. In shaping this product we should not forget that work is instrumental for the integral development of the human being. Work fulfils three basic human needs in our societies: the wish to develop capabilities, the need to interact with others and the need to earn one’s sustenance.
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Too often, migrant children easily end up at the lowest levels of human degradation, with their hope and future destroyed.The Holy See reiterates its strong appeal to protect the dignity and fundamental rights of every person and to implement, without reserve, humanitarian law, principles and policies in response to people on the move, especially unaccompanied children: they must be considered children first and foremost, and their best interest must be a primary consideration in all actions concerning them.
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The fight against poverty calls us to deeper commitments and concrete acts of solidarity, aiming to design and implement projects truly focused on the common good, which emphasizes the cooperation and participation of all local, national, regional, and global stakeholders.
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For the wellbeing of our human family and the promotion and protection of the common good there is an urgent need to recognise the role of international solidarity as an essential element for the enjoyment of fundamental human rights by all. International solidarity implies the participation of individuals in decision-making processes and, in particular, the recognition of the principle of subsidiarity.
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The current and emerging global health challenges call for better health systems that are capable of delivering effective and affordable interventions for prevention and treatment to all, especially those in greatest need, those in extreme poverty and the most disadvantaged in our societies, including migrants and refugees, who represent a vexing sign of our times.
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The availability of clear, neutral, and disaggregated data and information on migrants, free from partisan and political interests, must be promoted at both the international and national levels. The “cherry-picking” of information which perpetuates sensationalism and negative stereotypes can hide the truth lying behind the decision to move, which, too often, is prompted by extreme poverty, famine, natural and man-made disasters, violence, and persecution
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The only way we can be successful in improving the global governance of migration is by shaping a far-sighted and people-centered Global Compact which hinges on migrants as the active protagonists. The outcome of the negotiations on this Compact truly will serve as the litmus test of fraternity and solidarity among the family of nations over and above any political divisions or geographical borders.
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The Holy See reiterates its solidarity with the Syrian people and especially with the victims of violence, and encourages the international community to embrace the perspective of victims. Six years of senseless slaughter expose once again the illusion, and the futility, of war as a mean to settle disputes.The unjust suffering of the innocent victims of this senseless slaughter should motivate all involved parties to engage in a serious dialogue and to work towards a future of peace and justice.
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In relation to pursuing of the double goals of access to medicines and necessary medical innovation, policy coherence is fundamental for effective, sustainable and equitable progress towards universal health coverage and improved health outcomes for all.In order to promote human dignity and to adopt policies rooted in a human rights approach, we need to confront and remove barriers, such as monopolies and oligopolies, lack of access and affordability and, in particular, both overwhelming and unacceptable human greed.
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The degradation and loss of biodiversity can reinforce existing patterns of discrimination and thus undermine the right to an adequate standard of living, which touches the rights to adequate food, to water and sanitation, and to health.There is an asymmetric distribution of the cost and benefits of this situation, which is a direct result of an economic view that takes into account only the immediate profits and ignores the cost of the related damages resulting from such strategies.
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The commitment of the Holy See “to protect, to defend, to promote religious freedom”, the “first human right”, for all people, regardless of their respective religion or belief, remains both strong and determined. The Holy See firmly believes that every human person has a “transcendent dignity [that]… must be acknowledged and protected as a universal good
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“Tending “to those in need takes strength and tenderness, effort and generosity in the midst of a functionalistic and privatized mindset which inexorably leads to a ‘throwaway culture’. To care for individuals and peoples in need means taking responsibility for the present with its situations of utter marginalization and anguish, and being capable of bestowing dignity upon it”
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More humane measures are available to address crime, ensuring the victim the right to justice and giving the criminal the chance to reform. Moreover, this will facilitate the development of a more just and fair society, fully respectful of human dignity.
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When analyzing the situations of tension and conflict that have emerged during recent years in the international scenario, a dangerous temptation is to place them in the prospective of the clash of civilizations.Religions are called to build a culture of encounter and peace, based on patience, understanding, and humble, tangible steps. Dialogue among religious traditions can greatly contribute to shape the human conscience, a moral patrimony widely shared which expresses a universal ethical message.
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The Holy See recognizes the urgency of greater attention and action to promote the health of migrants.The Delegation of the Holy See urges WHO, UNHCR, IOM, and other relevant agencies to advocate for greater attention and action to safeguard and protect the health of migrants and to include practical, accountable, and sustainable plans to achieve this aim within the Compacts on Refugees and on Migrants.
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The number of deaths that result from the use of psychoactive drugs, the level of drug-attributable disease burden, and the incidence of HIV infections as well as hepatitis B and hepatitis C caused by injecting drugs present compelling evidence that this situation has reached “alarming proportions”. A comprehensive and cooperative approach is required and should include the strengthening of capacity in health and social services, as well as cooperation with justice, education, and law enforcement sectors
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Neither human life nor the human person can ever be treated as an object to be manipulated or as a disposable commodity.The Holy See Delegation is keenly aware of the severe lack of available donations and that, in some cases, only ten per cent of the identified needs can be satisfied.
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The consequences of the conflict are seen most clearly in the suffering of the South Sudan population. About 2.3 million people, the clear majority being women and children, continue to be displaced from their homes within the country, and some 600,000 have sought refuge in neighboring countries, about 70 per cent of these being unaccompanied minors. Estimates show that between 5 and 7 million people are facing food shortages.
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International security and peace are best achieved through the promotion of a culture of dialogue and cooperation, not through an arms race. Civilians always bear the highest price of war while the weapons industries profit from it. Until this unfortunate logic is changed, it is incumbent upon us to reduce at least the human suffering caused by armed conflicts.
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Access to affordable medicines no longer represents a challenge just for the Least Developed and other developing countries; it has also become an increasingly urgent issue for developed countries. A fundamental responsibility of the international community is to ensure that all people have affordable and sustainable access to life- savings medicines.
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The number of people on the move in search of better opportunities, often fleeing from conflicts, famine, religious persecution, climate change and natural disasters, continues to increase incessantly.Migration, integration and development are interdependent and mutually reinforcing phenomena. The great contribution of migrants becomes real and effective when they are recognized as partners in economic development, when their human rights are respected
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The world still face an unequal global distribution of resources and opportunities, but today we are better placed to take concrete actions that can address the inequalities between and among countries and peoples.It is time to embrace a transformative shift to translate declarations into actions, and commitments into achievements.
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The Report of the High-Level Panel represents a point of departure from which we could start to discuss remedies and correct the misalignments and policy incoherencies between the individual and corporate rights of inventors, innovators or manufacturers and broader human rights.
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The very nature and purpose of the BWC framework offers a chance to underline and understand the direct link between disarmament and development, and their mutually reinforcing relationship.
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The political, social and economic, complexity underlying the situation in Syria, which also concerns the stability of the Middle East and beyond, must not be a barrier for the International Community to address urgently the pressing need of finding a solution through diplomatic dialogue.
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The Holy See, while assuring its firm commitment to work with all interested parties to assist the needs of refugees and migrants, reiterates a strong appeal for the implementation of the existing provisions contained in the Refugee Convention
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The entry into force of Marrakech Treaty represents a strong signal that multilateralism not only is alive, but that it can serve well as an effective system for the concrete implementation of the common good through the responsible involvement of all parties in any negotiations undertaken
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Water management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy makers at all levels. Both women and men should be involved in managing water resources and sharing the benefits that come from sustainable water use.
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Older persons enrich society and their positive and constructive presence in society is valued. The elderly are a source of wisdom and a great resource. The quality of a society, of a civilization, may also be judged by how it treats its elderly and by the place reserved for them in communal life.
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The Holy See strongly supported the original aspiration of UNCTAD which aimed at creating a global trading system supporting the development of poor countries: a system able to promote the rebalancing of international economic relations to promote justice and equity, to promote social progress and better standards of life in greater freedom.
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The Delegation of the Holy See express its gratitude to the Director General for his determined efforts in successfully arriving to this historical agreement between the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration .
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There is a strong nexus between religion and diplomacy, between faith-based “informal diplomacy” and the formal diplomacy of States and multilateral bodies. Strengthening this nexus could make a strong positive contribution to the overall effort to achieve peace for all Israelis and Palestinians, and for all the inhabitants of the region.
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The Holy See encourages the practice of sports to build bridges between peoples, nations and continents as well as in the society and, as long as it is practiced with respect for human dignity, it is a strong tool to create a more inclusive global society.
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It is always necessary to place the human person, with his or her dignity, at the centre, countering the dynamics that tend to relativize what is important and place money at the apex. When money becomes the end as well as the motive of every activity and of every venture, then the utilitarian perspective and brute logic – which do not respect people – prevail. This results in the widespread collapse of the values of solidarity and respect.
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Women have a specific vocation in the human society and they must be encouraged to embrace the opportunity to uphold the dignity of life through their involvement in education and their participation in political and civic life. They can and should develop their unique “capacity for the other” for, without their voice, the social fabric of society would be weakened..
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“We are called to promote a culture of dialogue by every possible means and thus to rebuild the fabric of society. The culture of dialogue entails a true apprenticeship and a discipline that enables us to view others as valid dialogue partners, to respect the foreigner, the immigrant and people from different cultures as worthy of being listened to. Today we urgently need to engage all the members of society in building ‘a culture which privileges dialogue as a form of encounter’ and to create ‘a means for building consensus and agreement while seeking the goal of a just, responsive and inclusive society’ (Evangelium Gaudium, 239).”
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The Holy See wishes to reaffirm its interest in contributing to the dialogues on the future of work in the context of the 100th Anniversary of the Organization. We look towards the continuation of this process with the hope that people, workers, their families and their communities be placed at the centre of future sustainable development and decent work policies, as recommended by the Philadelphia Declaration (1944).
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We must be cautious about the research and development of LAWS. Now is the time to prevent LAWS from becoming the reality of tomorrow’s warfare. The CCW should make a courageous decision of prohibiting lethal autonomous weapons like it did in the past concerning other types of weapons.
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The present crisis, and the obstacles to the exercise of human rights in this country, evoke past tensions that have affected this and other countries in the Great Lakes region. Those tensions, like their tragic consequences, have never been adequately addressed despite subsequent recovery and reconciliation initiatives.
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As recalled by Pope Francis in his recent visit to U.N.O.N.: “while recognizing that much has been done in this area, it seems that we have yet to attain an international system of commerce which is equitable and completely at the service of the battle against poverty and exclusion. Commercial relationships between States, as an indispensable part of relations between peoples, can do as much to harm the environment as to renew it and preserve it for future generations.”
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The Holy See Delegation shares the concern expressed in the conceptual document for this Conference, that “[w]e is confronted today with a hugely complex humanitarian operating environment.” The current series of never-ending conflicts is bringing about increasingly difficult and tragic consequences. In a way, we face “a true world war fought piecemeal”, which affects numerous areas in our world in different forms and to varying degrees of intensity.
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The Holy See is confident that, in Nairobi, a sense of responsibility and solidarity with the most disadvantaged will prevail, so that narrow interests and the logic of power will be set aside. In this regard, in his recent address to the U.N.O.N., Pope Francis affirmed that “while recognizing that much has been done in this area, it seems that we have yet to attain an international system of commerce which is equitable and completely at the service of the battle against poverty and exclusion.
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Migrants constitute an invitation to look anew at international relations and at our solidarity as a single family of nations, so that unjust inequalities and violence may not disrupt peaceful coexistence. Migrants can be builders of bridges among cultures, bringing their contribution in hard work, energy and new ideas.
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In a deteriorated international context, armed conflicts and security tensions on all continents are the cause of thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, destruction, misery and unspeakable suffering. International structures, institutions, treaties and conventions, which are supposed to prevent or at least mitigate the consequences of these tragedies, seem paralyzed.
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The legacy of the present conflicts should not make whole populations hostage of the explosive remnants of war and abandoned weapons. A serious implementation of Protocol V will help to keep a glimpse of hope to prevent additional victims. It is of great importance that Protocol V be an effective element making possible reconstruction, reconciliation and development once conflicts are over.
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The Delegation of the Holy See hopes that the consensus reached on the proposal of extension represents an important sign by the World Trade Organization, especially in anticipation of the next Ministerial Conference in Nairobi. The Holy See Delegation remains confident that a sense of common responsibility, as shown in the decision adopted, will bring us all to support such an extension as an accelerated step toward the human and economic progress of LDCs.
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“The multicultural character of society today… call us to deepen and strengthen the values needed to guarantee peaceful coexistence between persons and cultures. Achieving mere tolerance that respects diversity and ways of sharing between different backgrounds and cultures is not sufficient… a more decisive and constructive action is required, one which relies on a universal network of cooperation, based on safeguarding the dignity and centrality of every human person.
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“Europe will be able to confront the problems associated with immigration only if it is capable of clearly asserting its own cultural identity…. Only if it is capable of adopting fair, courageous and realistic policies which can assist the countries of origin in their own social and political development and in their efforts to resolve internal conflicts – the principal cause of this phenomenon – rather than adopting policies motivated by self-interest, which increase and feed such conflicts. We need to take action against the causes and not only the effects.”
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Through both private and public investments, we continue to see incredible scientific advancement in the understanding and use of biological resources, the applications of which hold great social value and potential to improve the lives of people, particularly in the medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural fields. To continue incentivizing such innovations and to spread the benefits of these innovations widely, just legal frameworks for intellectual property protection play an essential role.
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The Holy See advocates a unitary approach of law that is structured on the basis of fundamental human rights. According to that vision, the value of justice in any set of enactments has to be measured by the possibility of perpetuating it and reconciling it with such human rights.
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The International Community is called “to patiently build a more diverse, more welcoming, more humane, more inclusive society that does not need to discard those who are weak in body and mind. On the contrary we need a society which measures its success on how the weak are cared for.”
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It is necessary for the International Community to cast off the relativistic culture where one person takes advantage of another, treating others as mere objects, imposing forced labor on them or enslaving them to pay their debts. We must overcome the “globalization of indifference” to their plight, transforming it through a renewed sense of solidarity and fraternity.
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As it has always been from the beginning of the Oslo process, the Holy See is firm and determined to contribute to the success of this humanitarian challenge. The work is far from being completed. We all need to make the right decisions in order to prevent the dangers of cluster munitions. We owe it to the victims of the past and to prevent further victims.
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The Holy See is deeply convinced that terrorism, especially those forms that derive from religious extremism, must be confronted with concerted political efforts by all players, especially by all the local and regional parties involved, as well as by the major international players, whose role is indispensable in negotiating and finding a viable solution, diplomatic or otherwise, to protect life and the future stability of the regions touched by terrorism.
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The present situation is also producing asylum-seekers who are not protected by existing juridical instruments. For example, Pope Francis writes in his new encyclical on the care of our common home (Laudato Si’): “There has been a tragic rise in the number of migrants seeking to flee from the growing poverty caused by environmental degradation. They are not recognized by international conventions as refugees; they bear the loss of the lives they have left behind, without enjoying any legal protection whatsoever.”
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The Holy See Delegation remains optimistic that the international community will continue to strive to promote the human rights of women from an approach that is truly worthy and deserving of the human person. Much progress has already been made as witnessed by the growing number of women in important political and social roles such as Presidents, Heads of Government, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Ambassadors and many other professional positions. “There is no doubt that we must do far more to advance women, if we want to give more strength to the reciprocity between man and woman. In fact, it is necessary that woman not only be listened to more, but that her voice carry real weight, a recognized authority in society.”
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The sense of solidarity developed by the international community has to be preserved and applied and made more relevant and responsive to new situations. To solve disputes, the way forward is dialogue to prevent the scourge of war and the tragic consequences for the people affected.
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The multilateral system, and immigration countries in particular, have not yet succeeded in effectively managing migration. While much generosity in receiving asylum seekers and migrants has been evident, a long-range immigration strategy is still lacking. The consequence, in Pope Francis’ words, is abdication of responsibility because “leaving our brothers on boats to die… is an attack against life”.
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Pope Francis: “We can no longer trust in the unseen forces and the invisible hand of the market. Growth in justice requires… programs, mechanisms and processes specifically geared to a better distribution of income, the creation of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the poor…” .
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The Holy See delegation wishes to note the importance and the timeliness of the theme for the general discussion. The recent Ebola outbreak was a human and public health tragedy, which, among others, showed that the need to build resilient health systems cannot be over emphasized, as they are essential for the provision of universal health coverage and for a prompt response to outbreaks of disease.
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The Holy See encourages an international collaborative effort to address this crisis situation with urgency so as to prevent the extension of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups and their strategy of inflicting suffering on the local people and to destabilize Africa even further.
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The Holy See holds that the full adherence of all parties to the provisions of said Agreements is a prerequisite for all further efforts to improve the humanitarian and human rights situation in the affected territories, by, first of all, bringing an end to the loss of human life, acts of violence and other forms of abuse.
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Peace in Syria and the Middle East is the priority for healthy growth of all children. With conviction, during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Pope Francis stated: “May the violence cease and may humanitarian law be respected, thus ensuring much needed assistance to those who are suffering! May all parties abandon the attempt to resolve issues by the use of arms and return to negotiations. A solution will only be found through dialogue and restraint, through compassion for those who suffer, through the search for a political solution and through a sense of fraternal responsibility.”
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Efforts to build a better future for all are frustrated. We witness a situation where violence, religious and ethnic hatred, fundamentalist radicalism, extremism, intolerance, exclusion, destruction of the social fabric of whole societies and communities are becoming the features of a non-viable political and social model, endangering the very existence of many communities, the Christian community in particular.
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Several mutually interdependent issues like freedom of religion, freedom of expression, religious intolerance, violence in the name of religion, come together in the concrete situations the world faces today. The way forward seems to be the adoption of a comprehensive approach that would consider these issues together in domestic legislation and deal with them in such a way that they may facilitate a peaceful coexistence based on the respect of the inherent human dignity and rights of every person.
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As pope Francis stated in different circumstances: “Even if ‘nature is at our disposition’, all too often we do not ‘respect it or consider it a gracious gift which we must care for and set at the service of our brothers and sisters, including future generations’. Here too what is crucial is responsibility on the part of all in pursuing, in a spirit of fraternity, policies respectful of this earth which is our common home.”
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The Holy See hopes as well that the pledged contributions to the Green Climate Fund will continue to increase so as to enable the most vulnerable nations to mitigate, and adapt to, the effect of climate change more effectively. Finally, the continuing and deepening collaboration and engagement of civil society and the private sector is a welcome sign.
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The Holy See Delegation fully supports the efforts to abolish the use of the death penalty. In order to arrive at this desired goal, these steps need to be taken: 1) to sustain the social reforms that would enable society to implement the abolition of the death penalty; 2) to improve prison conditions, to ensure respect for the human dignity of the people deprived of their freedom.
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TThe Holy See urges a creative and innovative approach, with full use of the flexibilities allowed under the Trade Related Intellectual Property instruments, so that the right to health for all people without any form of discrimination can be fully guaranteed and implemented.
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This Delegation is aware that the goal of a world without nuclear weapons is not easy to achieve. For this, all energies and commitments are necessary. They are even more necessary in this time of international tensions. The role of churches and religious communities, civil society, academic institutions are vital to not let hope die, to not let cynicism and realpolitik take over.
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Nuclear weapons are a global problem, affecting all nations, and impacting future generations and the planet that is our home. A global ethic is needed if we are to reduce the nuclear threat and work towards nuclear disarmament.
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“There are numerous people, especially immigrants, who, compelled to work “under the table”, lack the most basic juridical and economic guarantees.”
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Sustainable Development Goals must be formulated and carried out with generosity and courage, so that they can have a real impact on the structural causes of poverty and hunger, attain more substantial results in protecting the environment, ensure dignified and productive labor for all, and provide appropriate protection for the family, which is an essential element in sustainable human and social development.
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States and International Organizations, together with civil society, have the responsibility to devise and implement migration policies, strategies and agreements to make more humane the experience of migration in its old and new forms and thus ensure its benefits for all.
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With growing urbanization of the world population, the tendency of urban wars will increase. How to protect the civilian populations? What should we do to safeguard civil infrastructures, indispensable for the livelihood of large communities? Is the current international humanitarian law sufficient?
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Wars and armed conflicts are always a failure of politics and of humanity. IHL should keep this essential human dimension to make coexistence possible nationally and internationally. When the international community fails to preserve peace, it should not accept a second failure.
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As Pope Francis recently stated, “it is necessary to respond to the globalization of migration with the globalization of charity and cooperation, in such a way as to make the conditions of migrants more humane. At the same time, greater efforts are needed to guarantee the easing of conditions, often brought about by war or famine, which compel whole peoples to leave their native countries.”
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As Pope Francis emphasizes: “It is necessary to respond to the globalization of migration with the globalization of charity and cooperation, in such a way as to make the conditions of migrants more humane. Solidarity with migrants and refugees must be accompanied by the courage and creativity necessary to develop, on a world-wide level, a more just and equitable financial and economic order, as well as an increasing commitment to peace, the indispensable condition for all authentic progress.”
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Dismantling protectionist measures and outlawing unfair preferences can help to create a more level playing field, including for the world’s poorest countries. Still, the successes of modern business activity, including international trade, “even if they have reduced poverty for a great number of people – this is the great concern of Pope Francis – have often led to widespread social exclusion.”
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Pope Francis pleads: “Above all I ask leaders and legislators and the entire international community to confront the reality of those who have been displaced by force with effective projects and new approaches in order to protect their dignity, to improve the quality of their life and to face the challenges that are emerging from modern forms of persecution, oppression and slavery.”
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The Holy See Delegation urges the elimination of every attempt to marginalize indigenous peoples. This means, first of all, respecting their territories and the pacts made with them; likewise, efforts must be made to satisfy their legitimate social, health and cultural requirements. Finally, we cannot overlook the need for reconciliation between the indigenous peoples and the societies in which they are living.
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Purely economic and functional approach toward elderly persons risks to create a culture where the weakest and most fragile members of society — the unborn, the poorest, the sick and elderly, the seriously handicapped, etc. — are in danger of being ‘thrown away’ from a system that must be efficient at all costs and thus impoverish society of their wisdom, experience, and enriching presence.
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We need to break the silence about this “…open wound on the body of contemporary society…” and motivate “…men and women of good will who want to cry out, ‘Enough!’ ” Pope Francis takes each and every opportunity to denounce the “…many abominable forms of slavery [that] persist in today’s world…”
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Among the rights listed in the opening statement, the need to protect and defend the right to religious freedom, which is clearly under attack in some parts of the world today. This is a fundamental human right based on the right of freedom of conscience. Experience shows that when this right is respected all other rights are as well.
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As Pope Francis stressed in his letter to Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon: “the violent attacks…cannot but awaken the consciences of all men and women of goodwill to concrete acts of solidarity by protecting those affected or threatened by violence and assuring the necessary and urgent assistance for the many displaced people as well as their safe return to their cities and their homes.”
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The Holy See reiterates its view that violence never pays. Violence will only lead to more suffering, devastation and death, and will prevent peace from becoming a reality. The strategy of violence can be contagious and become uncontrollable.
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As Pope Francis has remarked: “… I ask leaders and legislators and the entire international community above all to confront the reality of those who have been displaced by force, with effective projects and new approaches in order to protect their dignity, to improve the quality of their life and to face the challenges that are emerging from modern forms of persecution, oppression and slavery” .
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As Pope Francis has remarked: The family is the fundamental cell of society where the generations meet, love, educate, and support each other, and pass on the gift of life, “where we learn to live with others despite our differences and to belong to one another.”
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The Holy See strongly supported the original inspiration of UNCTAD that created a global trading system friendly to the development of poor countries. This system facilitates regional trade and corrects asymmetries between different trade partners, with special concern for trade in raw materials and food.
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In order to fully implement this principle, all members of the human family are called “to change the … attitudes which define each individual’s relationship with self, with neighbor, with even the remotest human communities, and with nature itself; and all of this in view of higher values such as the common good or,… the full development of the whole individual and of all people.”
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As recalled by Pope Francis “A change of attitude towards migrants and refugees is needed on the part of everyone, moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear, indifference and marginalization – all typical of a throwaway culture – towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal world” .
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The Delegation of the Holy See is aware that there are no easy solutions for addressing the multifaceted and complex challenges of business and human rights, or for providing the effective remedy and accountability that victims are legitimately seeking as a matter of urgency.
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“Future sustainable development goals be formulated and carried out with generosity and courage, so that they can have a real impact on the structural causes of poverty and hunger, attain more substantial results in protecting the environment, ensure decent work for all, and provide appropriate protection for the family, which is an essential element in sustainable human and social development.”
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Expressing his concern about the greedy exploitation of the environment Pope Francis observed that “Even if ‘nature is at our disposition’, all too often we do not ‘respect it or consider it a gracious gift which we must care for and set at the service of our brothers and sisters, including future generations.”
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For the Holy See the fundamental question is the following: Can machines – well-programmed with highly sophisticated algorithms to make decisions on the battlefield in compliance with IHL – truly replace humans in decisions over life and death?
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The Holy See recognizes the role of the protection system of intellectual property in promoting the literary, scientific or artistic production and, generally, the inventive activity for the sake of the “common good”. At the same time, it emphasizes the ethical and social dimensions that in a unique way involve the human person and her action.
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For the Holy See, the Interpretative Declaration provides a necessary hermeneutic to understand the motives for acceding to the Convention and also for considering the implementation of the Convention by the legal order of Vatican City State which is the very exercise we are engaging in at this moment in the consideration of the Initial Report of the Holy See to the CAT.
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One of the specific ways of giving concrete expression to the common good and human dignity at the international level is the determination of the just proportion and weight to be given to perceived national interests, given that these interests are inter-relational and may never be considered absolute.
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Pope Francis encouraged more a focused and intense attention by governments to the “scourge” of human trafficking which he labeled a “crime against humanity”, “a true form of slavery, unfortunately more and more widespread, which concerns every country, even the most developed.”
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Religious freedom should be protected not only in order to ensure a peaceful society, but also, primarily, because the human “transcendent dignity must be acknowledged and protected as a universal good, essential to the building of societies directed toward human flourishing.”
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Pope Francis strongly asserted that “hunger and malnutrition can never be considered a normal event to which one must become accustomed, as if it were part of the system.”
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Pope Francis: “I ask each party in this conflict to listen to the voice of their own conscience, not to close themselves in solely on their own interests, but rather to look at each other as brothers [and sisters] and decisively and courageously to follow the path of encounter and negotiation, and so overcome blind conflict.”

Pope Francis: “I think above all of the Central African Republic, where much suffering has been caused as a result of the country’s tensions, which have frequently led to devastation and death … I express my hope that the concern of the international community will help to bring an end to violence, a return to the rule of law and guaranteed access to humanitarian aid, also in the remotest parts of the country.”
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As Pope Francis urged in his Apostolic Exhortation “The need to resolve the structural causes of poverty cannot be delayed, not only for the pragmatic reason of its urgency for the good order of society, but because society needs to be cured of a sickness which is weakening and frustrating it, and which can only lead to new crises.
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The relationship between rights and development is at the heart of the migration and development dialogue. Respect for rights enhances the ability of migrants to contribute to their countries of origin and destination.
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The political will to recognize the equal human dignity and rights of all persons opens the way to a future without discrimination and persecution for religious people and communities and to a genuine and stable democracy.
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As we enter this new era of technology in warfare, it is essential that all actors stop to consider all relevant questions related to the use of drones. Respect for life, respect for human rights and avoiding dehumanisation are our collective challenge.
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Pope Francis has recently said: “Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity.
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“The protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights should contribute to the promotion of technological innovation and to the transfer and dissemination of technology, to the mutual advantage of producers and users of technological knowledge and in a manner conducive to social and economic welfare, and to a balance of rights and obligations” .
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The Delegation of the Holy See encourages all parties to pursue negotiations in a constructive dialogue that may provide a ray of hope to the People of Syria and courage to move into a peaceful future.
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The quality of a society, of a civilization, may also be judged by how it treats its elderly and by the place reserved for them in communal life.”
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The challenge remains the implementation of human rights treaties and recommendations so that the collaboration of Governments, the international community, the business sector and civil society may effectively advance the elimination of an evil that offends the dignity of every person.
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In such a pursuit, “religions can and must offer precious resources to build a peaceful humanity, because they speak of peace to the human heart.”
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Investing in education and innovation opens the way toward a future of greater equality and prosperity as they sustain growth, employment and distribution, but with an indispensable condition, that the human person with her dignity, aspirations and fundamental rights be placed at the centre of all policies and programs.
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«Spread always the culture of encounter, of solidarity, of acceptance of people with disabilities, not only by asking for just social measures, but also by promoting their active participation in the life of society» .
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We note with approval the Affirmations of Faith Leaders which have been released recently as a follow up to the Dialogue. First hand reports received from the areas of conflict show how faith communities are providers of protection
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“The common good corresponds to the highest of human inclinations , but it is a good that is very difficult to attain because it requires the constant ability and effort to seek the good of others as though it were one’s own good. The distribution of created goods, which, as every discerning person knows, is labouring today under the gravest evils due to the huge disparity between the few exceedingly rich and the unnumbered property-less, must be effectively called back to and brought into conformity with the norms of the common good, that is, social justice”.
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This can be accomplished by following the principle of subsidiarity that allows each individual and each business to be the protagonist of the development of the entire society. In this respect, given its tripartite nature, the ILO can play a decisive role. The social dimension of work needs to prevail through disinterested solidarity and the return to person-centered ethics that renew the world of work.
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“The protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights should contribute to the promotion of technological innovation and to the transfer and dissemination of technology, to the mutual advantage of producers and users of technological knowledge and in a manner conducive to social and economic welfare, and to a balance of rights and obligations” .
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In the construction or restoration of peace, historical and contemporary examples teach us that non-violence, as a doctrine and as a method, was and remains the most appropriate way of mediation and reconciliation in order to renew human, social and political ties, in favor of the common good and a lasting peace.
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Corporate Social Responsibility is not only necessary because both international organizations and public opinion are increasingly demanding that private companies take a greater role in promoting well-being wherever they operate but also because it is an issue of social justice.
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Silencing the guns is the priority. Besides, the necessity of overcoming any pessimism toward undertaking and achieving successful negotiations should be seen against the death caused daily by the use of guns, a cost the people of Syria have already paid too much.
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Optimal facilitation of access to medicine is a complex endeavor and deserves comprehensive analysis and acknowledgement of all factors contributing to its promotion, rather than a more restricted analysis of legal, economic, and political frameworks.
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The Human Rights Council has recognized that “religion, spirituality and belief may and can contribute to the promotion of the inherent dignity and worth of the human person.” The Christian religion, as other faith-communities, is “at the service of the true good of humanity.”
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Health and development ought to be integral if they are to respond fully to the needs of every human person. What we hold important is the human person – each person, each group of people, and humanity as a whole.
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Pope John Paul II, in a Letter on the occasion of the International Conference on “21st Century Slavery – the Human Rights Dimension to Trafficking in Human Beings,” stated that human trafficking “constitutes a shocking offense against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights.
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Despite evidence that treatment is very successful in children living with HIV, even in resource-limited settings, there remain significant obstacles to expanding access for children living with HIV to such life-saving and life-enhancing treatment.
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Religious freedom is also a duty, a responsibility to be fulfilled both by individuals and religious groups. The recognition of the religious freedom of individuals and social groups implies that they should act by the same standards of the freedom they enjoy and such a condition justifies their presence as important and authentic actors in the public square.
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When conception already has occurred, the substances used in “emergency contraception” produce an abortifacient effect.
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The Holy See would like to recall that beyond being considered an additional strain to host communities, migrants are a resource for our societies. Besides the new and rich values and perspectives they are contributing, migrants sustain the economy through their work.
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Environment – notably ozone layer protection and related actions – entails a shared responsibility toward the entire human family, especially the poor and the future generations.
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This is the challenge for all of us to make protocol five effective in protecting the civilian populations from the consequences of explosive weapons during conflicts and after the conflicts have ended. The civilians should not have to pay twice for the absence of a secure, free and peaceful environment.
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As armed clashes persist and new uprooted people are obliged to seek survival in exile and in precarious conditions of physical and psychological suffering it becomes our common responsibility to search and apply more creative and concrete forms of solidarity and protection.
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In any undertaking of thought and action, in every scientific, technical or juridical approach, intellectual property is called to respect creation both in the area of knowledge and discovery and in the recognition of the nature of things: matter, intellect, living beings, and, above all, the human person.
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The Holy See wishes to point out the role of parents in educating their children in authentic human love as self-giving in communion and friendship with God and others through the exercise of authentic freedom and respect for one’s own body and those of others.
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The people of Syria and the Middle East deserve support and solidarity in their moment of need. The promotion of all human rights is an effective and indispensable strategy for the success of their struggle for peace and social conviviality.
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The Social Doctrine of the Church, about family and marriage: “The family has its foundation in the free choice of the spouses to unite themselves in marriage, in respect for the meaning and values of this institution that does not depend on man but on God himself”.
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“The accompaniment of the full safeguarding of religious freedom and other humans rights by programmes which, beginning in primary school and within the context of religious instruction, will educate everyone to respect their brothers and sisters in humanity.”
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We encourage every State to ensure, protect and promote the legitimate right of people to have, practice and to express their own religion or belief freely and without any type of coercion and violence and without the constant fear of becoming victims of anti-religious attacks that destroy their fundamental human rights.
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Persons fleeing their home leave because of fear and desperation. But more importantly, their decision is an act of faith and hope that the solidarity of the human family and the actions of the international community will continue to witness and provide compassion and support that will enable them to enjoy again their human rights and a normal existence.
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The Holy See reaffirms the intrinsic truth of the equal dignity of men and women and therefore the necessity to eliminate any discrimination and violence against women.
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Pope John Paul II wisely observed that the moral and social attitude of interdependence is solidarity. It “is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all .”
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Sovereign debt cannot be viewed as an exclusively economic problem. It affects future generations a well as the social conditions that allow the enjoyment of human rights of vast numbers of people entitled to the solidarity of the whole human family.
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Good decisions are necessary in order to move toward a post-crisis phase of the globalization of the economy and of work. But only a corresponding “ethical interaction of consciences and minds”
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Pope Benedict XVI asks “international agencies to acknowledge them and to offer them assistance, respecting their specific character and acting in a spirit of collaboration.”
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John Paul II reminded us that work “…is not only good in the sense that it is useful or something to enjoy; it is also good as being something worthy, that is to say, something that corresponds to man’s dignity, that expresses this dignity and increases it.” A working man becomes…“more a human being. ”
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The Holy See also recommends ensuring, particularly in the “Forced Evictions” cases, that re-locations be put in practice taking into account the mandatory value of families’ unity.
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The foundation upon which all existing communities in a State can cooperate constructively for the common good is well articulated in the Declaration, which affirms the “inherent dignity and worth of the human person…[and] the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small…, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion”
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It has insidiously infiltrated all elements of society and most often occurs within the family, the local neighborhood, and the child’s immediate social circle. It must honestly be acknowledged and effectively prevented in order to safeguard the safety and the physical and emotional health of children who, in turn, constitute the future of society.
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The Holy See Delegation condemns discrimination and violence against any human person, including those who are so targeted because of perceived sexual differences.
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Greater social justice provides fertile ground for the implementation of all human rights. Religions are communities based on convictions and their freedom guarantees a contribution of moral values without which the freedom of everyone is not possible.
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The Holy See remains convinced that regional and multilateral organizations are an important instrument in promoting peace and stability in the world, an instrument which is ever more valuable in times of crisis, and for that reason welcomes the various initiatives in favour of peace through the path of dialogue and reconciliation.
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The human family has not been created to serve the market, but the market, to serve the human family. If this principle is respected, even though times are difficult, fear will give way to hope.
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In the area of forcibly displaced people, this ethical approach can open a way to a future when all human rights are fully accorded to refugees and the right of any human being to run for his or her life is acknowledged and respected.
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Migration becomes a test for the respect and implementation of human rights especially when policies are centered on control and national security, forgetting the equally important security of the persons on the move across the planet.
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For this reason, operational collaboration appears an important and even necessary way to facilitate the convergence of all available energies in order to help uprooted people of all kinds through joint or delegated programs and through regular sharing of information.
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The Authorities and all the citizens to spare no effort in the search for the common good and in the acceptance of legitimate aspirations for a future of peace and stability.
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Re-affirming that human life begins at the moment of conception and that life must be defended and protected, the Holy See can never condone abortion or policies that favour abortion.
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To look in a new light at victims of cluster bombs, mines and other weapons; to renew concern for refugees and displaced persons; to enact generous forms of solidarity with all victims of disasters, catastrophes and conflicts and thus fulfil the aspiration for unity of the human family.
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This institution has many strengths and there is still time to make the CCW a tool to promote international humanitarian law in the field of conventional arms control.
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Refugees are not anonymous numbers but persons, men, women and children with individual stories, with talents to offer and aspirations to be met.
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The universal destination of goods represents the sum total of social conditions which allow social groups and their individual members to arrive at their own fulfilment. The common good, however, is realized if solidarity prevails. In our globalized world, an equitable relationship with others is a must since we are all really responsible for all.
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The Holy See “exhorts scientists and doctors to undertake research to prevent and treat illnesses linked to old age without ever ceding to the temptation to have recourse to practices that shorten the life of the aged and sick, practices that would turn out to be, in fact, forms of euthanasia.”
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The Holy See expresses the firm hope that the international community will succeed in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality by promoting effective interventions that are based on deep and abiding values as well as on scientific and medical knowledge and that are respectful of the sacredness of life from.
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To counteract the scourge of trafficking of women and children with greater determination and more concrete results, a convergence of efforts is necessary: a mentality that is centred on the unique dignity of every person, a sure punishment of traffickers, fight against corruption, a correct teaching in schools of the mutual relations between man and woman.
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The Holy See looks at this new Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Rights of the Child to provide a communication procedure as an opportune contribution to strengthening the human rights system.
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The constructive and welcome engagement of all stakeholders in international economic and commercial matters will help to achieve an integral development and solidarity which is grounded in a vision of the future that guarantees an equitable distribution of resources and is responsive to the interdependence of people.
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The Holy See anticipates a new Programme of Action for the LDCs for the coming decade. Now is the time to translate into concrete action the commitments that have been made in these days. The future wellbeing of the LDCs depends to a great extent upon the spirit of gratuitousness that motivates our common efforts.
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People are being attacked for taking positions that do not support sexual behaviour between people of the same sex. When they express their moral beliefs or beliefs about human nature, which may also be expressions of religious convictions, or state opinions about scientific claims, they are stigmatised, and worse — they are vilified, and prosecuted.
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Education and freedom of religion can reinforce each other. A fair presentation of different beliefs can prevent the stereotyping of other people’s convictions, can open to dialogue and to respect of the inalienable dignity of every student, of every believer and of every person.
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With a concerted and determined action sustained by the ethical conviction that the human family is one and must move forward in solidarity, urban and rural populations together, the right to food can be implemented for every person.
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As His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI stated in addressing the diplomatic corps, religious freedom is “the fundamental path to peace. Peace is built and preserved only when human beings can freely seek and serve God in their hearts, in their lives and in their relationships with others.”
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Let us pray that peace may soon prevail and allow a renewed society to look with hope to a future where human rights and the innate dignity of every person are respected.
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All, belong to one family, migrants and the local populations that welcome them, and all have the same right to enjoy the goods of the earth whose destination is universal.
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After what number of dead, wounded and disabled can we talk about unacceptable military behavior? After how many destructions of infrastructures, livelihood sources and traumas, can we begin to say that the balance is broken?
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Awas it possible also to consider unreported cases of refoulement and ‘push-back’ to unsafe countries, we would be face-to-face with a protection deficit of considerable proportion? All of us need to reflect seriously and remain engaged in how to give priority to people even though protection space is shrinking.
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Religion has taken up greater visibility in the public arena in recent years. A widely spread anti-religious attitude, however, favors some manifestations linked to discrimination and prejudice.
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The raison d’être of the protection system of intellectual property is the promotion of literary, scientific or artistic production and, generally, of inventive activity for the sake of the “common good”.
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The distribution of water is traditionally among the responsibilities that fall to public agencies, since water is considered a public good. If water distribution is entrusted to the private sector it should still be considered a public good…. Without water, life is threatened. Therefore, the right to safe drinking water is a universal and inalienable right”.
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Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of World Refugee Day 2010: “ Refugees wish to find welcome and to be recognized in their dignity and their fundamental rights; at the same time, they intend to offer their contribution to the society that accepts them.
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The Holy See’s approach to Maternal Mortality is holistic, since it gives priority to the rights of mothers and child, both those already born and those awaiting birth in the womb of the mother.
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Good decisions are necessary in order to move toward a post-crisis phase of the globalization of the economy and of work. But only a corresponding “ethical interaction of consciences and minds” will give rise to integral development where the human person is at the centre of labour relations, confident to journey toward a better future.
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“The search for the greatest possible human development… and with a strong belief that “[t]his ethical perspective [is] based on the dignity of the human person and on the fundamental rights and duties connected with it …”
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“Exclude from patentability inventions, the prevention within their territory of the commercial exploitation of which is necessary to protect order public or morality, including to protect human, animal or plant life or health or to avoid serious prejudice to the environment”.
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The debt of the developing countries must be placed in a broader context of economic, political, human rights and technological relations concerns as well as of international collaboration in pursuing the objectives of the common good.
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The Holy See has previously stated, it is always opposed to the use of violence from whatever side it may come. Violence makes even more difficult the search for peaceful solutions, the only ones that can build a future of constructive coexistence.
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“The ecological crisis offers an historic opportunity to develop a common plan of action aimed at orienting the model of global development towards greater respect for creation and for an integral human development inspired by the values proper to charity in truth.”
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The Delegation of the Holy See, on the other hand, is also convinced that a good road leading to peaceful coexistence is a more positive attitude towards religions and cultures.
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The Holy See calls upon States to respect and promote the right to freedom of religion in all its aspects, through national legislation, including appropriate sanctions against violators to eradicate impunity effectively.
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Prevention is the best medicine, and this begins with education and promoting a culture of respect of the human rights and human dignity of every child, and especially through the implementation of efficient methods for the recruitment of school personnel.
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We can modify the rules that govern the financial system to serve concrete change, to move away from old habits of greed that led to the present crisis, and to promote effective integral development and the implementation of human rights since “the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is the human person in his or her integrity.”
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But there is an additional step that ensures success in the long run, the inclusion of the dimension of gratuitousness and the logic of gift as an expression of fraternity and involvement of the entire human family both as a protagonist of development and as the primary objective of trade and economic activity.
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“The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbors, the more effectively we love them… In an increasingly globalized society, the common good and the effort to obtain it cannot fail to assume the dimensions of the whole human family.”
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In the new digital arena, much can be achieved by encountering and knowing the traditions and values of each other, by creating a new mentality of understanding and respect, and by searching together for truth, goodness and beauty.
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Forced displacement flows, and asylum-seeking and by formulating new and equitable development and conflict-prevention frameworks that can effectively do away with involuntary uprooting of people in the future.
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We believe that such work is laying the ground work for States and the international community to concretely reduce economic and social disparities, too often a cause of violations of human dignity and human rights.
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Solidarity and responsibility are the pillars by which, we believe, it would be possible to build a new paradigm of economic development, one that is centred on the unconditional value of the human person.
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Guiding principles of assistance both in natural and human-made disasters need to be implemented but before all, we must put at the centre of all our interventions the person and his/her material, psychological and spiritual needs.
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Economic activity cannot solve all social problems through the simple application of commercial logic. This needs to be directed towards the pursuit of the common good, for which the political community in particular must also take responsibility.
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Labor proceeds from the person; is an inherent expression of personal identity; and ultimately finds its source of value in the richness and depth of the person: “…there is no doubt that human work has an ethical value of its own, which clearly and directly remains linked to the fact that the one who carries it out is a person”.
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A common code of ethics is also needed, consisting of norms based not upon mere consensus, but rooted in the natural law inscribed by the Creator on the conscience of every human being.
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The sheer numbers of those engaged in Catholic Church-sponsored health care services are most impressive; however, even more striking is the quality of care provided by them as well as their generosity and compassion toward those who are ill.
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The Holy See is pleased that victim assistance becomes an essential component of several legally binding instruments such as the V Protocol, the Ottawa Convention and the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
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“All peoples and individuals constitute one human family, rich in diversity” and that all human beings are equal in dignity and rights.
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Where persons are not allowed to engage in a honest discussion on the merits and/or flaws of a religion, the right to the truth is denied and the right to choose or change his/her religion or belief is seriously hampered.
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At the same time, it is incumbent on everyone to address the root causes of forced displacement: a generous humanitarian response has to be matched by an equally committed political one.
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Old and recent mistakes will be repeated, , if concerted international action is not undertaken to promote and protect all human rights and if direct financial and economic activities are not placed on an ethical road that can prioritize persons.
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The field of organ transplantation, clinical research has demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of interventions utilizing adult stem cells rather than embryonic cells. This direction of research guarantees respect for the dignity of each and every human being, even at the embryonic stage.
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“Health authorities in many countries are aware that progress toward improved health outcomes … is too slow and unequal, that performance does not meet expectations, and that they are ill-prepared to respond to challenges and demands.”
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Every human being has the right to an integral development and “the sacred right” to live in peace . On such premises, human rights are not just entitlement to privileges. They are rather the expression and the fruit of what is noblest in the human spirit: dignity, aspiration to freedom and justice, search for what is good, and the practice of solidarity.
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The best way to solve this problem is to prevent new victims and new contaminated areas. Prevention is easier than remedy and more cost effective. The Holy See appeals to all States outside the Convention to consider joining the global effort and our common determination.
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The people of Congo, like all the people of our planet, have a “sacred right to peace” . In order to achieve a stable peace, it has to be based upon dialogue and reconciliation as peace can only be achieved through justice.
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If we want that there will be no more new victims, it is imperative to proceed in demining the areas affected as soon as possible. The most effective and least costly remedy is prevention.
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The creative alertness required for such solutions should move the international community to undertake new steps in protection. While juridical instruments are necessary, ultimately a culture of solidarity and the elimination of the root causes of displacement will sustain the protection system.
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Human ingenuity is multifaceted, resourceful and capable of finding responses to the challenges that confront the human family
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The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, and the instruments on which it is based, could serve as a framework for a new treaty, or as a framework for developing a declaration on guidelines, standards and good practices.
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The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, and the instruments on which it is based, could serve as a framework for a new treaty, or as a framework for developing a declaration on guidelines, standards and good practices.
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“The child by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth”.
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The new Protocol will fill a gap in the international human rights system. However, our work is not finished until every person will enjoy the right “to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family”
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The spirit of partnership has sustained the process successfully concluded, a success that was not assured when a handful of States started it. That same spirit can ensure an equally successful implementation and a hopeful future for victims and affected countries.
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Pope Benedict XVI has stressed also that “international action to preserve the environment and to protect various forms of life on earth must not only guarantee a rational use of technology and science, but must also rediscover the authentic image of creation.
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In this complex and urgent debate on the right to food, a new mentality is required. It should place the human person at the centre and not focus simply on economic profit.
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The world awaits an act of faith in the human person and his highest aspirations to live in peace and security, a commitment to make solidarity the most splendid expression of the unity of the human family and of its common destiny.
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Although presently confronted with a slowdown of the world economy, that could trigger some fears about the future, we should however keep in mind that ultimately the human person has an innate resource in being created for the fulfilment of the common good and thus always open to the future with an outlook, not of fear, but full of hope.
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Racism and intolerance should be combated through concerted practical measures. Education, that favours mutual knowledge, that builds confidence and sustains the implementation of human rights, can serve as a critical vehicle for effective dialogue.
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The task then is to provide an enabling environment where the person can flourish without undue discrimination. Religious freedom, in many ways, is a symbol of this type of environment that sustains both individual persons and the community.
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The Report gave due recognition to “health as a public good” which requires “international cooperation” on “trans-boundary health issues.”
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This is all the more desirable in that men today are taking an ever more active part in the public life of their own nations, and in doing so they are showing an increased interest in the affairs of all peoples.
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If the war has a grasp, peace also has one. And, in all cases, it is more modest by far. Preserving life, creating conditions for a dignified life for entire populations, ensuring security and stability at the lowest level of armaments.
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“To be human is to affirm one’s humanity by recognizing the humanity of others, and on that basis, to establish humane relations with any person”.
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Migrants, aware of their rights, can be more secure in offering their services and talents and the receiving community, well informed and respectful of these rights, will feel freer in extending its solidarity in order to build together a common future.
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The exemplary approach of the Red Cross and Red Crescent rests on the ability to break down barriers and to build bridges across conflicting partners, aware of the common humanity binding us and that demands we move forward to the future together.
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The success of our convention will be measured by our ability to respond properly also to the challenges of the rehabilitation and reintegration of all landmine victims and survivors, and thus to offer them credible hope for a better future.
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Pope Benedict XVI constantly appeals that these our brothers and sisters, so badly tested by suffering, should be guaranteed asylum and the recognition of their rights, and that public authorities should offer them protection in such delicate situations of need.
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The appropriate social and political context within which to promote and protect all human rights, including the profession of a religion or changing or rejecting it, implies the acceptance that human rights are interrelated and that international standards should be translated into judicial and legal national provisions for the equal benefit, protection and freedom of every person.
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The Holy See has repeatedly insisted that, while the Governments of poorer countries have a responsibility with regard to good governance and the elimination of poverty, the active involvement of international partners is indispensable.
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Critical refugee and internally displaced people situations around the world call for a renewed commitment and an active engagement on the part of the international community. It is an obvious form of solidarity within the human family.
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It is essential to place, from now, at the center of our attention, the recognition of the fundamental value of human dignity, which should be the fundamental aspect of all efforts and all processes that seek to strengthen the international humanitarian law.
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Through the adoption of Decent Work as a development paradigm for the multilateral system, locally adapted and implemented in Decent Work Country Programs, workers, employers and governments, acting together, can give concrete form to this vision for a better future.
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We note the importance of close collaboration among the WHO Secretariat, WHO member states, and civil society (including faith-based organisations) in order to address this pandemic in a more holistic, integrated, and effective manner.
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The Holy See urges a perspective on health security that is grounded on an anthropology respectful of the human person in his or her integrity and looks far beyond the absence of disease to the full harmony and sound balance of the physical, emotional, spiritual and social forces within the human person.
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These are essential elements for immediately placing at the centre of our attention the recognition of the fundamental value of human dignity which must provide the foundation for all efforts and processes which seek to strengthen international humanitarian law.
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Generous, timely and coordinated humanitarian help for all the victims of such horrific violence will achieve justice for them and will begin the indispensable process of healing their tragic condition.
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Children are both weakness and hope. To pursue the defence of their rights and the elimination of all forms of violence against them remains an institutional challenge for the international community.
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A comprehensive approach, that sees respect of religion rooted in the freedom that every human person is entitled to enjoy in a balance of rights with others and with society, appears as the reasonable way forward.
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There are significant risks and challenges. Only our common will is able to avoid and overcome them.
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The CCW should respect its role as guardian of what is left of humanity in situations of violence and suffering. This review Conference is the occasion to recall CCW’s fundamental purpose and to draw its practical consequences.
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If we truly care about persons and peoples and their development, the eradication of poverty will not remain a mirage, but a reachable goal.
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With the human person and his / her dignity at the center of concern, the responsibility to protect will continue finding the creative capacity to respond in a humane and fair way to today’s new developments.
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Religion and the reason for religious tolerance are rooted in the person, believer or not. Focusing on ideologies rather than on people and communities of believers carries the risk of transforming religious claims into political self-interest.
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The rules of the economy and trade, the technical progress we daily witness, the political engagement for a just international order: all these are components of an enabling environment geared to safeguard the dignity and creativity of every human person and ensure a future of justice and peace for the entire human family.
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As Pope Benedict XVI has reminded workers on the occasion of last May 1st, the human person “is subject and protagonist of work.” In fact, work is of primary importance for any woman and man’s “fulfilment and the development of society, and this is why it is necessary that it always be organised and developed in full respect of human dignity and at the service of the common good.”
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The Holy See hopes very much that the needed resources may be provided as a gesture of human solidarity, as an investment in peace, so that this long-uprooted population may not be forgotten.
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“Concern for our neighbour transcends the confines of national communities and has increasingly broadened its horizon to the whole world.”
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The more the rights and needs of the poor and the weak, are taken into account, the greater becomes the possibility for justice and peace in our world, indispensable conditions for sustainable development and for all alleviation of poverty.
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Serenity and cooperation are the means to achieve the goals of humanity. Goals that we all share here in this room.
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Migrations are not just a sign of the times; they are a great resource for economic and human development, but the migrants must remain protagonists as builders of bridges among societies with the support of coherent and humane policies on the part of the international community.
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The Holy See is convinced that the Fifth Protocol signifies a further step along the path of the international community’s journey of concretely promoting the culture of life and of peace, based upon the dignity of the human person and the primacy of the rule of law, through a responsible, honest and consistent cooperation of all the members of the community of nations.
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A more comprehensive understanding of security can provide the will to address the root causes, both political and economic, that push large numbers of people criss-crossing the globe looking for protection, survival and a decent life.
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The Holy See strongly supports the idea of a moratorium on the use of cluster munitions during the whole period of the proposed consultations, while awaiting to reach the adoption of an appropriate international instrument.
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But protagonist of his work is the human person and safeguarding his dignity and centrality in all new realities is the best guarantee for a more just and peaceful world.
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“Together with religious freedom, all other freedoms develop and thrive”. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is a right provided for by international human rights norms for individuals.
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The Delegation of the Holy See has been a constant advocate of development, supports the inclusion of social development policies in the future agenda of the Working Group as well as the comprehensive concept of development agreed at the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, one that is political, economic, cultural, ethical and spiritual.
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It is measures like these that will help people separated from homes or their land to find a place to live that recognizes their human dignity and their right to security and peace.
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The role of UNCTAD, based on the three pillars of the mandate, the analysis of and research into the nexus between integration policies and social development and consensus-building and technical assistance, is once again a basic element in the achievement of the objectives which the international community has set itself.
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The just participation of all, individuals and states, in the building up of the future must lead to their fair share in the benefits resulting from decent work for all in the human family.
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A multi-pronged approach appears necessary to make human mobility a motor for progress even for its most vulnerable segments: international cooperation in the prevention and prosecution of trafficking and the rehabilitation of victims; less restrictive and more realistic immigration policies; concerted promotion of sustainable economic and social development in poor countries; a continued formation to a culture of human rights and respect of the dignity of every person.
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At the same time, in the education process at all levels respect for these rights needs to be acknowledged and communicated thereby building a culture of reciprocal respect and of a positive appreciation for diversity in an environment where all human rights can flourish.
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Provide valuable opportunities for us to learn from the experience of various segments of society while working through a convergence of opinions that could lead to a more effective promotion of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights that protect each person’s and each country’s right to development, that is one framework of integral development.
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The equal dignity of every person and of every human community provide a launching pad into the future that can stimulate the creativity of the international community to continue devising all practical measures necessary to achieve such a noble goal of eliminating all forms of racism and related intolerance and of promoting a fair and inclusive society.
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Healing entire populations of the consequences of war and armed conflicts, especially the people that have been most affected and victimized, is the best investment in building up true security and a durable peace.
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Healing entire populations of the consequences of war and armed conflicts, especially the people that have been most affected and victimized, is the best investment in building up true security and a durable peace.
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The dignity of the human person is at risk in other contemporary situations of forced displacement, catastrophes, and infectious diseases, all generally affecting the poorest segments of the population and especially women and children.
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The Holy See considers it applying to a holistic concept of health, which embraces the person in the entirety of his or her personality, mind and body, and which fosters the achievement of personal maturity in sexuality and in the mutual love and decision-making that characterize the conjugal relationship in accordance with moral norms.
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